Corridors of Time
by Sinasta
Summary: Thousands of years have passed since the Naruto era. The world has changed and ninjas have disappeared. All except an immortal albino who's now living peacefully, unaware that a familiar face is about to enter his life once again. AU, Yaoi HidaShika-centric. Rated M for violence and probable smut in later chapter.
1. Endings and Beginnings

**Warning: the story will lead to yaoi (male x male relationship) in later chapters, possibly with mature scenes. You've been warned. Don't like, don't read and please don't flame.**

**Disclaimer: characters from Naruto and all other references belong to their respective creators.  
**

**Author's notes can be found at the bottom.**

* * *

A lone man walked along the cliffs bordering the southeastern part of Astoria Lake, his amethyst eyes admiring the heavenly scenery. While summer had begun quite late this year, it had apparently decided to make up for it by lasting longer than usual. Indeed, despite being the beginning of October, the sun shone fierily in a clear cerulean sky, its warming light reflecting on the calm waters of the lake and illuminating the surrounding landscape to emphasize its striking natural beauty.

Even after more than century of life in this region, the panorama never failed to appease the man's ever-so-short temper. One would think after such a long life, he wouldn't be so loud-mouthed anymore, that he'd learn to control himself. But Hidan was one of those things that never change.

No, scratch that. He had changed. Drastically.

Not physically of course, as he had stopped aging on the day he was turned into an immortal. Plus his unique condition had also improved his natural recovering abilities, allowing severed limbs to reattach themselves if stitched together long enough while scars slowly disappeared leaving behind nothing but clean smooth skin. As a result, he still looked nearly the same as he did back in the Akatsuki, even after so much time.

It was his behavior that would surprise those who once knew him. He had worked a lot on his hot-headed temper and had successfully acquired a minimum of self-control, even though saying it had been a hard and long struggle would be quite the euphemism. He now acted less like an ass, swore less and actually tried to think things through before acting. Well, at least he did most of the time. One didn't have to try hard in order to piss him off and quickly bring his old self back.

Yet, those changes didn't come out of the blue. They were merely consequences of a severe trauma that had literally destroyed what once ruled every aspect of his life.

Hidan no longer believed in Jashin.

Giving up on that religious FANATISM, its gory slaughters and senseless human sacrifices had been the one true revolution in his life. Though he had been at a loss for some time, his new life had left him with no regret. As crazy as it could seem, he had even realized he was thankful to the kid who had once defeated him. While he couldn't remember his name, his face was forever carved in his memory. He owed him his salvation and his new outlook on life.

Don't misunderstand him; it had been a terrible experience, and that was just another euphemism. Most people would hate the mere idea of their lifeless body being dismembered and secretly buried in the middle of nowhere. They don't even realize how lucky they'd be. At least they'd be dead; they wouldn't have to actually live through it!

* * *

In the beginning, he had failed to notice the precarious situation he was in. He had no reason to be scared as it was obvious the all-mighty Jashin-sama would not let one of his most devoted zealot rot in this shithole and let the damn blasphemer walk away with it.

So, he'd simply kept mentally swearing and cursing the _fuckin' heathen_, imagining all possible ways to torture him and make him pay for his sacrilege. Days had passed; then weeks, months, even years… and still no sign of Jashin-sama. And while he had no way to know how much time he was spending down there, reality was slowly catching up on him, becoming more and more oppressive.

There was physical pain of course. Even blown to several pieces, he could feel the crushing weight of rocks pressing on every single part of his body. While boulders attacked him from the outside, hunger and thirst quickly came along, killing him on the inside. Whatever priest had once told him that even in his immortal state he could still die from starvation had sadly been dead wrong…

Nature itself was also quite a bitch from time to time. He might not have been able to see it but he could still _feel_ it. Rain would infiltrate the soil, turning the earth into squishy mud, leaving his wet and dirty; sun would heat it dry, creating dust that just loved to enter his nostrils; snow would cool it down, surrounding him with a freezing cold, making him shiver and clatter his teeth non-stop for Jashin-sama knew how long… He even had to make it through three earthquakes!

However, what really got to him was the atmosphere. Back when he was roaming on the surface, he used to curse all that bothered him, meaning everything except holy Jashin-sama. He'd never thought he'd come to miss any of these, but this unique situation had proven him wrong. He missed the sun that kept shining far too brightly in his albino eyes. He missed the noisy birds that kept waking him up during his naps. He missed Kakuzu and all those Akatsuki idiots, no matter how stupid and annoying they were.

Stuck in that earthen hell, silence and darkness were his only companions, at least until the hallucinations began…

The shadow-nin's face had suddenly appeared in the darkness, looking down at him with those loathing eyes and smug smirk. He could hear the bastard laughing at him, mocking his worthless life and insulting his beliefs. Ghosts of every single victim of his murderous instinct and sacrificial fanaticism floated around him, their sinister screams instilling sheer terror in his mind. Closing his eyes was useless; they were always here, tormenting him.

His already fucked-up psyche had slowly drifted towards utter insanity. That entire burden was too much to bear, even for him. The pain, the hunger, the thirst, the mud, the dust, the cold, the darkness, the ghosts, the voices… He was all alone to face such an inhuman ordeal. Jashin-sama wasn't coming to save him. Even death was no way out as the Grim Reaper could no longer claim his soul. He was forever doomed to endure this living hell…

Eventually, his last bit of sanity had snapped.

He had screamed…

* * *

How long his emotional trauma had lasted, he never found out. His terrified shrieks had echoed in his tiny hole until unconsciousness overtook him. When he had woken up, there were no hallucinations to welcome him, only silence and darkness again. What sanity he once had was back with an unexpected companion.

Doubt.

His once unshakable faith had been shattered, the jashinist teachings now seeming completely wrong. The supposedly all-mighty god who cared about his follower had never helped him. 'He' for whom he had sacrificed so many; 'He' who demanded the hunt of every heathen in the world; 'He' who had ruled over his life for so long...

There was no 'He'. Jashin-sama was nothing but a myth.

Stuck in his natural prison, he had then tried something new: doing some actual thinking. Time and time again, he had looked back on the past, analyzing his life under this new light. As he did, he had found himself ashamed and regretful, feelings he used to despise in others. For all it was worth, this dismembered body buried in the middle of nowhere for ages had slowly turned into a new person.

In the end, the shadow-nin had somehow been true to his words: he had successfully killed an immortal.

* * *

He had long resigned himself to his underground fate when he had suddenly felt someone grab his right hand then drop it on some grassy ground. As minutes passed, he had felt his right leg, left foot and part of his torso being dug out in the same way. Finally, after a shovel accidently hitting the top of his skull, the discovery of his head had been accompanied by several yells of joy from his saviors.

His eyes had slowly readjusted themselves to light and let him discover that his long abandoned hope was really happening. Four people were digging a huge hole in a lush forest, looking for the still missing parts of his body in the middle of the night. Their faces were hidden, all of them being clad in black hooded cloaks looking a lot like the travelling equipment of hidden villages.

Within an hour, all parts of his body had been laying next to him. Even his scythe had been discovered, dirty but surprisingly well preserved. However, instead of the introduction he expected, the team had drugged him with sleeping gas before tossing him in a bag.

He had woken up with a terrible headache, lying on a hard wooden table, in a decrepit-looking building. To his surprise, his body had been stitched together and he could now move as he wished. One of his rescuers was standing beside him and he had immediately called his companions, all of them still wearing their cloaks. He had then listened to their explanations on what had transpired since his defeat, devouring his first meal in a long time as they did.

His underground imprisonment had lasted for approximately five centuries. After his defeat, the Akatsuki had kept going after the tailed beasts but had eventually been stopped by an alliance of hidden villages. As a result, friendship between the major nations had improved, announcing an era of peace. Alas, it had taken merely a few decades for tensions to slowly rise and lead to new hostilities.

About 250 years ago, a great conflict had exploded between the five main nations and villages, smaller countries being forced to choose their side. War was still going on 150 years later when normal people had started protesting against the influence of ninja academies, considered by many to be responsible of everything. Popular opposition had grown and led to riots until the Kages were forced to resign in favor of normal citizens controlling the hidden villages in order to avoid additional senseless bloodbaths.

Since then, ninjutsu had been more and more perceived as nothing but a dangerous source of conflict, which had led to severe restrictions, then prohibition. The remaining nins were either forced to hide their powers or to fight for survival against ninja hunters and regular armies. Though far weaker, those had an impressive numerical advantage and had developed ruthless but efficient strategies. Many would die for each fallen nin but death didn't scare them, not after so many years of war and suffering.

The group that had dug him out was part of Kagegakure, the last group of ninja openly resisting. However, their number was slowly decreasing with each attack and their destruction seemed only to be a matter of time. Some of them had desperately placed their hope in the legend of the Akatsuki's immortal member. Infiltrating Konoha to investigate what remained of the Nara archives had been very risky but had allowed them to discover his approximate burial location.

They were now expecting him to become their ultimate weapon. As long as his secret remained safe, their enemies wouldn't stand a chance. A genius shadow-nin had barely defeated him after careful preparation; ignorant regular fighters would be no match for him and his scythe. With him, not only would they be saved, with time they could also reclaim their rightful place.

Five days later, after numerous meals and exercises, the albino had finally recovered enough strength to travel at decent speed. Thus they had left in direction of Kagegakure, a week away for their current hideout. The first day had gone on without incident as the five cloaked figures silently rushed through primitive mountain tracks and old deserted merchant roads before entering a vast forest. At night, they had set camp in a small cave after carefully camouflaging the entrance. Few people ever ventured so deep in these woods but better be safe than sorry.

Hidan was far gone when the rest of them had woken up the next day…

* * *

Running away wasn't something he usually did but that was a really fucked up situation. He had been extremely grateful for his freedom and helping his saviors survive hadn't seemed so bad at first. Problem was, these nutcases didn't want survival; they wanted power. The old Hidan would have been thrilled at the prospect of so many deaths and sacrifice. Not the new one. He hadn't turned his back on Jashin only to end up slaughtering thousands of regular people.

Slipping away at night had been the only way to prevent this madness without having to face his traveling companions. They'd never have allowed him to leave without a fight, not after all they had gone through to find and restore him, and killing them wasn't exactly a great way to thank them. Being actually grateful and sparing someone's life was new to him but somehow, it had felt like the right thing to do.

Kagegakure had fallen four months later. Whether his rescuer died fighting or lived hiding in a secluded place, he never knew.

With no goal in his life and no one to turn to, Hidan had embarked on a journey around the world. He didn't care so much about what he'd find or see, he just didn't have anything better to do. Frequently, after long periods of exploration, he'd settle down for several years, alternating between big cities and remote villages.

His struggle with money had often reminded him of his old partner Kakuzu. At first, escorting merchants and working as a bounty hunter had made easy money. Over time though, he had also learned new jobs and skills, whether for personal or financial use. When history became an active interest of humanity, he had made quite a profit of the ruins he discovered and the relics he brought back.

For approximately three millennia, he had wandered around the world, observing from afar how humanity changed. Ninjas and their arts had disappeared, slowly becoming no more than exciting stories for kids. Wars hadn't stopped though; they had simply been replaced by regular bloody conflicts with a hundred times more victims than before… Two unknown lands had been discovered across the ocean. People's behavior changed as technology improved more and more. New countries were born on the ashes of those that disappeared. Same thing happened with religions. Considering how 'stable' religions often led to so-called 'Holy Wars', Hidan was actually glad that crazy Jashinism was no more…

About 120 years ago, as the world was changing drastically and his life as an explorer was becoming less and less possible, Hidan had started looking for a place where to settle down permanently. When the owners of the 'Alba Madonna' had died with no heir, he had immediately acquired it. It was a three centuries old estate, renowned all across the country for its luxurious white truffles which fetched a really high price. So long as he could maintain this fame, he wouldn't have to worry about money.

Being located on a small headland on the southeastern edge of Astoria Lake, not far to the south of the tiny fishing village Mintos, away from overcrowded cities, people wouldn't bother him much. None would care so much as to wonder why the successive family members looked so much alike or why there was never any wife to be seen…

At first, he'd have to hire skilled workers but it would only be a matter of time until he could manage everything by himself. Once he'd have the proper knowledge and experience, hiring would become useless. Shadow clones would do the job just as well, for free and with no questions asked. No one would notice who's working, safely hidden behind tall hedges. He wouldn't even have to work himself if he didn't want to; the clones would simply do all the work.

With time, this could become the perfect resting place for him.

* * *

That was more than a century ago and he still lived here.

Despite its expansion, Mintos still gave off the same relaxing feeling. The once tiny village had turned into an internationally famous country town, mostly thanks to the success of its campus. The small college on the border of town had over the last twenty years been developed into one of the most respected university in the whole world and students from every nation came to attend it. Part of its reputation was due to the various partnerships with all kinds of companies and the low tuition feeswhich made it affordable to even the most modest social classes.

Many had feared that Edenia, the recently constructed tourist complex on the northwestern side of Lake Astoria would only cause pollution and gather noisy troublemakers. In the end, everything had been planned to preserve the site and the inhabitants were forced to admit that neither the natural beauty nor the peaceful atmosphere had suffered from it.

As for Delnir, it remained so awfully tiny and quiet, one could wonder if there really was anyone still living there…

With the advent of high technologies, the Alba Madonna's fame had expanded worldwide, allowing prices to increase even more, definitely ensuring an impressive yearly income. The immortal had invested a lot of that money in the whole property over the last five years, especially for modernizing the equipment, restoring the mansion and building an annex.

Currently walking along the southern cliffs, admiring the lake and all its surroundings from afar, Hidan was truly glad to call it home.

* * *

The afternoon was coming to an end when he started heading back home. He'd spent the last few hours training in the woods located south of the lake. Even nowadays, he made sure to keep his fighting skills as sharp as back in the ninja era. Not only did he not want to give up on it, he also knew from experience how unpredictable future is and how much it paid to be prepared for anything.

As usual, he first made his way to the edge of the forest. He then followed the old track once used to travel between the Alba Madonna and Delnir, bordered by trees on one side and cliffs on the other. Ever since cars had become popular, very few people still used this path despite the gorgeous view you could get from there.

He was soon surprised to find a rather large group enjoying the beach just below his estate. Not that he minded their presence; they didn't bother him at all. It's just that most people usually assume it is part of his private property but they are just mistaken.

Seconds later, memory struck him. Two young guys had visited him the previous day, students from Mintos he had wagered, to ask if 'his beach' was open to the public as the lack of barrier suggested, then if he'd mind them coming here to party with their friends. He had no reason to refuse; such things happened less than once a year and rarely did much noise. Plus he'd be gone for most of the day anyway.

He hadn't expected them to be so numerous though, adding up to a total of twenty three. Fifteen boys and girls along with a dog were playing cheerfully in the water. Five more were relaxing on the beach, enjoying food and drinks while talking. Finally, two guys were fighting under the watchful eyes of the last two of them. Judging how calm the latter were, it had to be just a friendly spar, no matter how violent it seemed.

It wasn't long until the track got farther from the lake, heading straight for the student town. Hidan then went down a ramp cut into the cliff and leading down to the beach which he could follow all the way to his residence. Taking off his flip-flops as soon as his feet reached the warm sand, he kept walking, getting closer to the strangers as he did. He watched them from afar, feeling a mix of regrets, bitterness and melancholy as he thought back to his own tough childhood compared with what those carefree youngsters were living.

His attention was suddenly attracted by two blonde girls who were visibly trying to sneak up on the group of five, which was completely dumb and useless as they were right in front of them. Their intention became clear when they positioned themselves near someone currently busy taking a nap with a book set on the eyes. Grabbing the legs and arms at the same time, they carried their poor victim all the way to the lake and, ignoring all the protests, threats and insults thrown at them, dumped him into the water.

Despite how childish the prank was, Hidan couldn't hold back a smirk. However it immediately faded away, only to be replaced by utter stupefaction when the boy emerged.

It was _him_…

That face, forever haunting his memory. His hair, his eyebrows, his eyes, his nose, his mouth… everything was the same, even the earrings! This guy was the true copy of the shadow-nin.

Getting a hold of himself, he pricked up his ear as the boy railed against his friends.

"Fuck you, girls! Can't you just pick on someone else and leave me the hell alone?"

It was a voice he knew far too well. Even nowadays, it still echoed clearly in his head, uttering the last words prior to his burial.

"Just shut up and enjoy the warm water, Shikamaru!"

Something clicked in the albino's mind as a long-lost memory was suddenly returned to him. That name he had sought to remember so many times in vain.

_Shikamaru_…

* * *

**Author's notes:**

**And here's the background for this fic. Not much to say about it, the real story will begin with chapter 2.  
**

**For those who might be wondering, Hidan will of course be partly OoC since he no longer believes in Jashin but rest assured I won't turn him into a 'peace and love' hippy either.  
**

**The name of the fic is a reference to a great music from the even greater game 'Chrono Trigger'. The title for this chapter is a reference to a nice music from the game 'Breath of Fire IV'.**

**Thank you for reading, even more for reviewing. Don't hesitate to point any mistake, inconsistency or anything. Useful criticism is always welcome, especially for a beginner like me.**


	2. Ordinary People

**Finally, here is chapter 2!**

**BEFORE GOING ON WITH THE STORY, PLEASE READ THESE FEW PRECISIONS!  
**

**First, know that for the descriptions, I refer myself to pictures from the manga, not to the anime. Therefore, do not be surprised if there are a few differences with what you are used to seeing.  
**

**Second, if I don't fully respect grammar and spelling in the dialogs, this is merely to add a bit of 'realism'. For example, do not be surprised if some characters such as Hidan say "I'm headin' home." instead of "I'm heading home"...  
**

**Third and last remark for now, do not forget that Hidan was buried since his defeat against Shikamaru. He doesn't what happened since then. Do not be surprised it some of his thoughts contradict the manga, it's only because he is genuinely mistaken. You'll probably get what I mean as you read it.  
**

**I have few more precisions to give you but in order not to spoil this chapter, I'll put them at the bottom of the pages. For that reason, do not forget to read the Author's notes at the end.  
**

**Thank you for your attention and happy reading!**

* * *

Throughout his whole thirty-five-centuries-long life, Hidan had many opportunities to admire all the wonders of the world, from nature's most magnificent landscapes to humanity's greatest accomplishments, some of which hadn't withstood the test of time as well as he did. Still, as awe-inspiring as those could be, only a handful of them had proven amazing enough to leave the albino speechless. It wasn't really surprising though; it was hard for such things to rival against the magics of the ninja era, against the superhuman battles he had witnessed or even taken part in, and most importantly against his own unique condition. And yet, everything he had ever known or seen was nothing compared to what currently stood in front of him.

_Shikamaru_…

Usually, the trip back home after training was a time for the immortal to make his mind go blank, to let it rest after much efforts; but not today. For once, he was beating his brains out, desperately searching for an answer to a seemingly simple question which was in fact the biggest mystery he ever had to deal with in his very long life: _who_ was that boy?

Based on his reflections, he could put forward up to three hypotheses, although neither looked any more likely than the others. The first one was that he was facing no more than a random guy having no link whatsoever with the young shadow-nin that had defeated him. Still, seeing how they had the exact same full name, voice and body, it was hard to imagine that it was merely a coincidence.

Second theory: he was one of his distant descendants. Problem was, the Kagegakure's shinobis who had freed him from his earthen prison had mentioned that it would be impossible for him to take revenge on the one who are dared humiliating him, for one simple reason: the Nara family had become extinct decades prior to his liberation. Plus even if there had been any hidden survivor of his lineage, as normal as it was for someone to resemble his parents, being the exact copy of a millennia-old ancestor was highly improbable.

Finally, maybe the boy was none other than _'the'_ Shikamaru himself, the one and only, the same one that he had fought and lost against, which would explain all the similarities. But then obviously, the next issue were 'how?' and 'why?'. Two words that led to dozens of questions. Was it the product of a supernatural phenomenon? If yes, which one? And what had caused it to occur? Or was it artificial? Was it the result of a brand new top secret technology? Was it the work of a man, an organization, a superior entity… or simply an obscure part of life and time's grand scheme?...

The possibilities were as unlikely as numerous. There were many myths and legends about eternal life, resurrection, reincarnation or any other miracles of that kind but Hidan had very little knowledge regarding that field, just as had with so many others. The only one he could decently eliminate was jashinian immortality. Judging from the duel that had opposed them and the brief discussion they had had before he ended up being buried alive, it was obvious that the young ninja was no immortal and had no intention of becoming one. Not to mention that Jashin's followers would never have revealed their secrets to a heathen such as him and considering how much he hated the albino and his former god, he'd rather have died than converting himself.

Aside from that, he was at a dead end. Intelligence and erudition had never been his strong points, which didn't help now that he was dealing with a mystery that even Konoha's genius would have had trouble solving. That's why, after long minutes of intense thinking without any progress, he had to face the evidence: there was no way for him to reach any conclusion for now. If he ever wanted to get an answer, he needed more data on which to base his reasoning aside from distant memories.

No reflection time was required for Hidan to decide what should be done. At the heart of that dark puzzle was that intriguing boy; therefore, it was essential to learn more about him, one way or another. It might not lead him anywhere and never grant him the answer to that riddle but he didn't have anything better to do anyway. At worst, he'd simply waste his time, which wasn't so bad for an immortal. At best, he had a unique chance to meet the one who had given a new meaning to his life again, and maybe this time to form a friendship with him one they could have actually enjoyed in the past had he not first become Jashin's zealot.

The albino's objective was set; a young man with a name full of meaning and memories.

Shikamaru Nara.

Finally back to reality, he noticed that the subject of his attention was now out of the water and back to the spot where he was lying before his rude awakening, except instead of having a nap, he was now snacking on chips whilst listening to his friends chitchat. With a confident step intended only for hiding his inner turmoil, he resumed his walk towards his home, planning a route that would get him near the small group currently relaxing on the beach. As he got closer to them, he took the opportunity to observe the other members, limiting his speed to have more time at his disposal.

There were now seven of them, facing the shore in an arc of circle around a round napkin on which drinks and foods of all kinds were available to everyone. Sitting next to each other, doing most of the discussion, the two blondes who had thrown the sluggard into the water were the closest to the former jashinist, their backs turned to him. Though he couldn't see their faces, he could differentiate them thanks to their haircut, the first one sporting a long ponytail reaching to her hips while the other had four bunches set in a cross. To their right, a brunette with an impressive mane, and whose face was hidden from him as well, was devouring a huge home-made sandwich, his corpulence suggesting that he was quite a big eater. Then came the Konoha-nin's double, then two other people whose position hinted that they could very well be a couple. Indeed, a girl with hime-style ebony hair contrasting with her alabaster skin and snow-white eyes was comfortably sat in the arms of a boy with bushy black hair and round sunglasses concealing his eyes. He quickly recognized the latter as one of the two guys who had rung his doorbell the previous day. Finally, another boy with a simple raven haircut matching inky black orbs was busy drawing, apparently being inspired by the landscape in front of him

Hidan was still searching for a pretext to approach them when an opportunity presented itself as his arrival didn't go unnoticed to his earlier visitor who turned his head in his direction and greeted him when he was close enough.

"Hello. You're not here because of us, are you?" the boy asked with a friendly tone.

"Not at all, I'm just headin' home." the albino replied with an affable smile.

Their brief conversation was still enough to catch the attention of the other group members who, having finally registered the presence of a stranger, looked at their shades-wearing friend with a both surprised and questioning look.

"This is the person we met yesterday, who lives in the estate up there." he eventually explained, his eyes briefly pointing at the top of the cliffs. His companions then greeted the newcomer before the four-bunches blonde spoke up.

« You're the owner of the Alba Madonna? » she asked, getting a quick confirmation from the immortal. "I thought it belonged to a rather old couple; at least that's what I read some time ago." she added, her curiosity noticeable both in her eyes and her voice.

« Not anymore. » While it sounded like a genuine answer, Hidan was in fact reciting the story he had made up more than a century ago to deal with such questions. "I took over several years ago, after my parents' sudden death. Since I was an only child, It currently makes me the one and only owner."

"How old are you, if you don't mind me asking?"

"Twenty-two."

"Didn't you have any problem inheriting and managing the estate at such a young age?"

« Not really; my father had taught me well enough so I'd be able to take his place should such an event occur. As for judicial or legal age problems, well, let's just say money can save a lot of trouble." A knowing smile emphasized the last sentence, earning him a small laugh from his interlocutor.

"Well you sure are highly skilled 'cause your truffles are awesome; I love them!" the glutton suddenly said with a joyful tone, which earned him the thankfulness of the albino. But as the latter was turning towards him, he had quite a hard time hiding yet another astonishment. He could finally see the faces of those that had their backs turned to him as he was approaching them, and while the blonde he'd been talking to was a complete stranger, the other with the long ponytail and her voracious neighbor did ring a bell. Only once the Shikamaru double entered his field of vision as well, allowing him to see the three of them together, did an ancient picture pop up in his mind…

One of a team standing bravely before Kakuzu and him as the battle that would end up with his utter defeat was about to begin.

"Chouji, how many times must I tell you not to talk with your mouth full?" snapped the girl he had just recognized.

"Ino, for once in your life, why don't you shut up and stop bugging him with your good manners ?" the sluggard retorted with an exasperated look that could have been more efficient had he deigned putting a bit of energy and motivation into it. "It's not like we didn't understand what he just said."

His words must have hit a nerve as a demonic fury filled his friend's eyes almost instantaneously. That was enough for him to know that he would soon feel, or to be more precise hear her wrath. His way to brace himself for the incoming storm was to simply lie down back to his original position, eyes closed and hands behind his head, giving a sigh as he did. He wasn't even finished when she began lashing down on him. However, he never responded, deeming it best to ignore her rather than venturing any further in a quarrel from which she'd never back down until she had the final say. Even if he wanted to stand for himself, he'd never be able to anyway; once Ino was getting started, only a loudmouth such as her could hope to get a word in. Needless to say, it wasn't his case.

The rest of the assembly was quietly observing the scene, the wry smile on their faces hinting that such situations were common practice. The only exception was the immortal who had yet to completely recover from the last shock. His visitor from the previous day eventually remarked it and wrongly mistook his absence of reaction for some embarrassment, urging him to step in. "Guys, we're not alone, remember?"

"Tell that to this moron who doesn't give a damn about being sprawled on the ground while talking to someone he doesn't even know!" the blonde fulminated against Shikamaru, pointing at him with her finger. Said boy sighed once more before reopening his eyes and turning his head toward Hidan.

"You don't mind me lying down, do you?" he asked the albino, breaking him out of his thoughts and suddenly bringing him back to reality. The shadow nin's double noticed his visible hesitation and repeated his question with a discreet wink and a smile of complicity. Those didn't go unnoticed and the immortal, understanding the underlying message, decided to play along with a small laugh.

"Not at all. To be honest, I'm pretty laid-back myself." Truth was he didn't give a damn about good manners. Then again, he was a saint now compared to his old-self from the ninja era with his many misdemeanors, that last term being quite the euphemism considering all the sordid practices he used to devote himself to.

His answer earned him a both amused and grateful smile from Shikamaru who closed his eyes and moved his head back to its original position. "Satisfied, Ino?"

"Laugh while you can. When fortune finally stops smiling on you, something bad will happen to your sorry ass. Better watch your back."

"You keep saying this since we're kids, yet you're the only trouble that ever showed up."

"Well I guess after so many years at your side, luck must have simply become used to procrastinating." The visitor from the previous day once more attempted to calm things down with a loud throat-clearing, alas to no avail.

"I'm lazy, I'll give you that, but I dare you to name me one thing I haven't done in due time.

"Finding premises for the group." The answer had surprisingly come without a moment's hesitation from the boy currently busy drawing who had yet to utter a single word.

"Sai, I hate you!" the sluggard grumbled, causing everyone to laugh. Then, it was the snow-white-eyed girl, also completely silent until now, who spoke with a voice so low that Hidan had to prick up his ears despite their proximity.

"You still haven't found anything?"

"More like he has yet to start searching!" the ponytailed blonde quickly replied, a remark that Shikamaru simply shrugged off, preferring to give his side of the story.

"Not yet. We did visit a few places with the others but there was always something wrong. It was either too small, with bad acoustics or in terrible condition…"

The new topic immediately aroused the albino's interest, his natural curiosity getting the better of him. "What exactly are you lookin' for?"

"Well, several of us decided to form a band but we're having trouble finding premises where we could gather and rehearse. Problem is, it has to be large enough for our stuff, soundproof enough not to annoy the neighbors, and with a roof that isn't about to collapse on us. Needless to say that our limited budget doesn't really help."

Hidan didn't need to hear anymore than that to know this was the perfect opportunity for him to see the group again, to observe them and learn more about those three kids risen from the past. That's why just like in the old days that he'd never call 'good', he embarked on a lousy plan without thinking things through. Old habits die hard after all, even with an immortal.

"I may have a solution for you." That immediately caught the group's attention, artist and sluggard included, their eyes glinting with interest for the first time since he arrived. "But no promise." he added.

"I'm listening." Shikamaru said, inviting him to carry on.

"There are two buildings on the estate: the ancient residence and the annex built a few years ago. I'm no expert but I believe the first floor of the annex will suit your needs. The furniture may need to be moved around a bit so you can get all your stuff in but it should be roomy enough for everything."

"If you don't mind our presence there, why not, as long you're sure we won't be a nuisance for you."

"On the contrary, otherwise I wouldn't make such a proposition. To be honest, livin' alone all the time is damn boring; a bit more liveliness would be very welcome around here."

"Well, we'd still need to have a look to it but supposing that we accept, how much would you ask for it?"

"Nothing." The answer earned the albino surprised looks from the whole group. "Considering my situation compared to yours, I'd be a jerk to demand a rent or anything else. Plus, from what I've seen until now, you don't look like thugs I should be wary of. Anyway if I happened to be wrong about you, I wouldn't be the one in trouble, trust me." Despite the seemingly aggressiveness of those last words, the grin and the light tone that came along hinted that those were more of a friendly warning than genuine distrust or hostility.

"Don't worry, we're no backstabbing ruffians." Ino assured him.

"Watch out!" As the warning could be heard behind him, the immortal, who had unconsciously lowered his guard since first spotting the shadow-nin's double, suddenly felt a large massive unidentified object crash into his back at high speed, sending him flying forward. Luckily, something was there to cushion his fall… 'something' being none other than a certain young boy relaxing on the sand who didn't have time to react and avoid the impact.

It only took a few seconds for Hidan and Shikamaru to recover after the unexpected bump, during which the rest of the small group watched them with a mix of awkwardness and amusement, barely holding back their mirth except for one of them. Only after that short lapse of time did the immortal feel the 'missile' move on top of him.

"Huh… sorry, accident…" said whatever was on top of him with embarrassed laughter as he noticed his two victims below him.

"Instead of laughing like an idiot, get your heavy ass off us!" Shikamaru howled with an irritated tone, an order that was swiftly obeyed, allowing the albino to get back on his feet and free the sluggard.

"I told you something would happen to you." Ino said in the meantime, obviously far too amused not to refrain herself from bursting out laughing. "Even if I that's definitely not what I had in mind." The only answer she received was an evil glare .

"Are you okay?" asked a newcomer, a guy with long dark brown hairs and eyes as white as the shy girl's. Getting a nod from both of them, he turned towards the unidentified object, another boy with a long ebony braid and large inky black pools with incredibly thick eyebrows on top of them. "Lee, we already told you to be careful when there are people not far from us, especially someone we don't even know… Honestly, don't you think you're overdoing it? I mean, _three_ back flips in a row just to evade me…"

"Sorry, I got carried away by the fight." the accused simply answered for his defense, obviously too embarrassed to say anything more.

"I apologize deeply, sir. I hope you're not hurt." his opponent quickly added in his stead, rolling his eyes as he did.

"Don't worry, I'm fine." The immortal assured him, doing his best to ignore the rage boiling inside him. Better remain calm and friendly rather than screwing up his plan because of the ill temper he never managed to get rid off.

"In any case, you're a champion for timing." Shikamaru said to Lee. "Just when we're being offered an apparently great place for the group…"

"Ah… Huh…" With embarrassment killing him from the inside, the culprit could no longer find his words. He was just standing there, scratching the back of his head with a confused look. Once again, the other fighter stepped in to help him.

"Please accept our apologies, sir. The two of us are at fault here, please don't hold it against them."

"I don't recall ever saying I would." The albino answered. "Besides, it didn't hurt so much. And lucky for you, I know what it is to get carried away by a tough fight. Just be more careful in the future, else one day you could end up in far greater trouble." '_Then again, you're safe from the worst of them_…' he quickly thought, memories of his earthen imprisonment briefly coming back to haunt him. "Anyway, don't worry, I didn't change my mind. My offer still stands. » he added, turning towards the shadow-nin's double who couldn't hide his relief; neither could his friends.

"Thank you very much. Do you have an idea when we could drop by for a visit, in order to see if it would suit our needs?"

"We can do it right now if you wish." Hidan answered with an affable smile. Shikamaru looked at Sai who simply shrugged and went off in direction of the water, stating that he was going to 'get the others'. "I'll take that as a yes." the albino added with a small laugh.

However, before the other members of the band would join them, he was in for yet another surprise. Indeed, the two persons who were watching the fight before the accident had come over to check if everyone was alright, and whilst some of their friends were explaining what had just happened, he spotted among them another face from the distant past. While the first of them, an energetic girl with pools as black as her hair set in two tiny buns on each side of her head, didn't ring any bell, the second was quite familiar.

A boy whose green eyes were emphasized by a complete lack of eyebrows along with black eye rings around them. A boy whose short red hair revealed the large tattoo on his forehead. A boy he had never actually met in the flesh but whose face had been in front of him for hours as he and his partners from the Akatsuki were extracting Shukaku, the one-tailed Biju, from his unconscious body.

Gaara, the fifth Kazekage…

As long as there was only one double, the 'random guy' and 'distant descendant' hypotheses were still conceivable. Now that there were four of them, they weren't really holding water anymore. No need to be a genius to understand that there were far too many of them for all this to be a mere coincidence. The immortal no longer had any doubt about it; those were the same people he had come across during the ninja era.

Now the question was to determine what exactly he was dealing with. The former jinchuuriki had not survived Shukaku's removal, so logically, it wasn't a case of immortality, whether jashinian or not. But then what? He really needed to learn more about all those strange phenomena.

Back to reality again, the albino noticed that Sai was coming back towards them, followed by five other guys coming out of the water. Once they had joined them, he invited them to follow him and started heading for the annex.

The Alba Madonna occupied an entire small headland on the southeastern edge of Lake Astoria, his boundary being marked by a nearly-three-meters-high hedge. The latter was more of a decoration and a camouflage than an actual protection against intruders. No wall or high fence had been added to it as Hidan considered that those would only spoil the natural beauty of the area. After all, if a burglar dared trespassing on his land, he could easily deal with him all by himself.

Beyond the only entrance gate was a long path bordered on both sides by the centuries-old truffle oak trees that had made the estate's reputation. To prevent accidents, a small wooden fence ran all along the top of the cliffs, the one on the left towering twenty meters above the beach where the immortal currently was, while the one on the right was towering above the waters of the lake.

"After about five hundred meters, the path arrived at another several-meters-high cliff. According to past rumors, when the first owners of the place had the terrain leveled to make tree-planting easier, they made sure to have the front part leveled down and the rest level up in order give their residence a majesty that would hopefully satisfy their oversized ego. In the middle, some stairs had been carved out of the rock along with a ramp on the right for carts to go up, the latter now being used by cars and other vehicles.

The mansion had been given an L shape and was divided into three parts. The stairs were first meant for the masters, so they led in front of the larger side where their luxurious home was located. Unlike it, the ramp went up to the smaller side with the stables, the storehouse and the servants quarters, the latter being located in the corner. A vegetable patch could also be found behind the building while the rest of the elevated terrain served as a garden.

On the northwestern end of the headland stood the annex constructed a few years ago, its simple modern architecture contrasting with the more classic and imposing style of the mansion. Right behind it was a platform overhanging the lake a bit, where one could admire a wonderful view of the surroundings.

Finally, another ramp carved out of the rock descended along the cliffs, passing below the platform to offer a direct route from the top of the estate to the beach. The access was secured with a low wall and a small gate right before the ground turned into sand. It was the path currently used by the former jashinist to take his visitors up to his home.

The beauty of the Alba Madonna had already made quite the impression on them as they had reached the top but when the albino let them inside the annex, they were definitely astonished. The first floor he had mentioned was in fact made of one single room about sixteen meters long and twelve meters wide, with a kitchen area, a minibar, a pool table, a latest fashion hi-fi system, all kinds of game consoles… Most of the walls were covered with picture windows, allowing the sun to illuminate the whole space and letting people enjoy the view of the lake even from the inside. Some of them could slide, giving access to the platform, the 'balcony' as Hidan called it, on which one could find sunbathing chairs, a state of the art telescope, a barbecue, a jacuzzi… And yet, despite all those equipments, it was a humble and pleasant atmosphere that emanated from the place, mostly due to its simple decoration, a complete absence of superfluous, and the owner himself who had neither the look nor the nasty attitude that so many rich snobs love to adopt.

"So, that good enough for you?" the immortal asked as the others were still admiring the room.

"Are you kidding? You're seriously offering to let us come here for free?" one of them said incredulously, a boy who was none other than the second visitor from the previous day, a black-eyed brunette easily recognizable thanks to the two red triangular tattoos on his cheeks.

"Yup, just make sure not to burn or blow everything up. Aside from that, as long as you're not looking for trouble with me, you and your friends are welcome here." Hidan's answer was immediately welcomed by a loud shout of joy from an overexcited blonde, obviously happy at the prospect of enjoying such a place. Judging by the cheerful expressions displayed by several others, he wasn't the only one. Unlike them though, the boy with inky pools and black spiky hair who then spoke up had a skeptical tone and face.

"No offense meant but making such an offer when you don't even know us… you'll understand if I smell a rat."

"True, I don't know you _yet_; but I believe it's only a matter of time. Now ask yourself this question: what's more risky? Me welcoming a stranger in here, or said stranger pissing me off one way or another? Trust me, if someone really gets on my bad side, I have enough money to ruin his life forever." The albino's smile, while seemingly friendly, clearly suggested that one had better not hastily take him for a reckless moron.

"I guess so…"

The room once again fell silent, the immortal giving some more time to his visitors before asking for their decision. "So… your verdict?"

The seven guests looked at each other, exchanging their opinions without a single word, all of them now showing a cheerful expression, even the most skeptics. In the end, it was the sluggard who answered his question with an affable smile. "We accept the offer; thanks a lot… mister?"

"Hidan. Hidan Gray." the albino informed him, holding out his hand, each of the seven boys coming one after the other to shake hands with him and introducing themselves, starting with Shikamaru himself.

Right after him came two overexcited guys. His earlier visitor with the red tattoos, Kiba Inuzuka, and the blue-eyed blonde who had shouted minutes ago, Naruto Uzumaki. Then, it was the spiky-haired skeptic, Zaku Abumi, followed by Dosu Kinuta, another boy who never wandered far from him and who was apparently trying to hide his eyes and face with a black cap from which a few short brown hairs were sticking out. Number six was the silent artist, Sai Arrowny.

Last but not least was Sasuke Uchiha, a boy with onyx eyes and raven hair going down the nape of his neck who had displayed so little emotions until now that one could wonder if he actually felt anything. And if that detail intrigued the albino so much, it's because it reminded him a lot of Itachi with whom he bore quite a resemblance, not to mention they even had the same family name. Although he hadn't known him so much, he had heard that crazy Deidara mention his younger brother. If it happened to be Sasuke, then maybe Itachi himself was back as well, along with the rest of the Akatsuki. Question was, would it be good or bad news?

With the visit finally over, Hidan took them back to the beach where they immediately informed their friends of the agreement, leading to another series of introductions.

First, those with whom he had briefly chatted. His opponents from the past, Chouji Akimichi and Ino Yamanaka. The sunglasses visitor, Shino Aburame, and the shy white-eyed girl, Hinata Hyuuga. The four-bunches blonde, Temari Akabane, and her youngest brother, former Kazekage Gaara Akabane. The two fighters, Rock Lee and Neji Hyuuga, the latter being Hinata's cousin. And finally, the energetic girl with the pair of buns, Tenten Fujibayashi.

Last were those he had yet to meet. A pair of black-eyed brunettes. The first was Kankurou Akabane, who was born in-between Temari and Gaara. The second, Konohamaru Sarutobi, was a few years younger than everyone else in the whole group. Next was a girl with inky black pools and an impressive ebony mane going all the way down to her knees, Kin Tsuchi. Then, a spectacled ruby-eyed girl with strange half-spiky half-straight red hair reaching her waist, Karin Solus. A last girl with green eyes and surprisingly pink hair cut at chin level, Sakura Haruno. Finally, two other boys. Suigetsu Houzuki, whose amethyst eyes were quite similar to the albino's along with the white hair, although his had a light blue glint to them. And Juugo Mercer, an orange-haired giant with red-orange eyes who was at least twenty or thirty centimeters taller than everyone else.

A few minutes later, the reddening sun on the horizon indicated that it was high time for them to leave, many of them having various things to do at home. After a short discussion, it was decided that all of them would come back on the next day once classes were over, especially the band members who would bring their stuff with them. The albino followed them all the way to their vehicles, taking advantage of the walk to listen to the various conversations but sadly not getting any worthy information out of it.

As he watched their cars moving away, a wide grin appeared on Hidan's face. For now, he had no idea what he was dealing with exactly but at least he had successfully established contact with them and if everything went according to plan, he would be seeing them regularly for quite some time. What surprised him most was that he wasn't just glad to have reached his objective. Deep inside him, he was happy.

He couldn't change the past, but he could avoid making the same mistakes. Of course, the present times weren't as dangerous as the ninja era was but no one knows what the future might have in stock. Even if nothing ever happened, being there to help Shikamaru was the least he could to pay him back for giving a new meaning to his life.

This time, whatever happened, he wouldn't be his enemy but his ally… and maybe, if fortune was kind enough to smile upon him, his friend…

* * *

**Author's notes:**

**Yup, Shikamaru isn't alone, the whole gang is with him, and even a few more people. ^^  
**

**Know that if I wrote short descriptions only, it's because of the many characters there are. More detailed ones will come later on. Most of them will have play a small role somewhere along the story.  
**

**Also, the reason I added family names to those who don't have any in the manga (well, more like those whose names are unknown...) is because it seemed weird to me to introduce some of them with a family name and others without one. Don't worry, I probably won't use them later on, or very rarely. Therefore, don't bother memorizing them. On a side note, congratulations to those who understood the references used for these names.  
**

**The title for this chapter is a reference to a nice music from the great RPG 'Seiken Densetsu 3'.**

**Thank you for reading, even more for reviewing. Don't hesitate to point any mistake, inconsistency or anything. Useful criticism is always welcome, especially for a beginner like me.**


	3. Darkness of the Unknown

**Finally done with chapter 3!**

**My apologies to everyone for taking so long. Had a lot going on recently, which slowed me down quite a bit. Don't expect too much though; you could say this chapter is the end of the introduction. For those who are impatiently waiting for some HidaShika moments, do not worry, chapter 4 will begin the work on their relationship.  
**

**A short precision: the Mintos University is meant to resemble US universities but having only limited knowledge of these, don't expect them to be 100% like these.  
**

******Anyway, thanks a lot to all those who took time to review up until now. If possible, if you're too lazy to login (happens to all of us from time to time :p), please be sure to use your exact member name as I try to reply to every single one of you.**

******As usual, author's notes can be found at the bottom.  
**

**Thank you for your attention and happy reading!**

* * *

…_Due to his virulent opposition to the concept of resurrection as introduced by the majority of religions, the philosopher rejects the idea that human beings relive the same life endlessly based on a definite and unchanging temporal cycle. Instead of presenting this notion as a fundamental mechanism of the universe, linking life, time and space, he regards it as an existential question meant to make each and every person meditate on their own future. He summarizes his theory in a simple sentence: 'Lead your life as if you wanted it to repeat itself for all eternity.'_

_See also… _

_...  
_

With a deep sigh, the albino buried his face in his hands, elbows resting on the desk. A brief moment later, he left his comfy CEO-worthy leather chair and went to the nearby mini-fridge to fetch yet another bottle of _Slumber_, one of his favorite drinks which he was now sipping quietly all the while admiring the view from his bedroom's window.

Lake Astoria was one of those places that remained as charming at night as it was during daytime. From his estate, he could spot distant lights coming from the entertainment districts of Edenia and Mintos where inhabitants, students and tourists gathered for some good time. When the weather was nice, especially in summer, it wasn't rare to see the boldest of them heading to the beach for a midnight bath. Despite the recent construction of the tourist complex, the light pollution was still low enough in the area for the night-owls to enjoy a wonderful scenery: a large magnificent moon surrounded by numerous stars in a dark celestial vault; a sight that had become extremely hard to find around the modern world. While the surrounding lands were bathing in the pale moonlight, the calm waters of the lagoon reflected it so well that on windless days of full moon, the lake looked just like a giant mirror.

Even as humans occupied most of the northern shore, animals lived in the southern wooded hills that gave off a serene atmosphere. Sometimes, Hidan himself went for a walk there when he couldn't sleep, so much that his presence was now somehow tolerated by the local fauna and the occasional beasts he came across no longer fled upon his arrival. Aside from him, the few other passers-by were mainly young couples hoping to enjoy the discreet, romantic place.

All in all, it was a peaceful, pleasant area to live in both day and night. Well, at least it was when the clouds were kind enough not to drop by… which they weren't at the moment..

Tonight, no stars, no moon, no swimmer, no date in the forest… nothing but a pouring rain all over the region. There was no thunder yet but it wouldn't be a surprise if it struck sometime soon. Was it the result of the unusual heat experienced during the last few days or merely the autumn that was making up for coming in late? Perhaps a bit of both…

The immortal didn't mind such weather though. Firstly because the sound of raindrops falling outside and on the roof was part of those small details he'd come to appreciate over the centuries. But more importantly because he had far more important things to worry about.

He had spent hours rolling over and over again in his bed but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't fall asleep as the day's events kept replaying in his head. Not only was he rather stressed out at the prospect of meeting the group again the next day but he was also extremely frustrated by the fact that he had no idea what the hell he was experiencing. Eventually, he had given up on trying to sleep for now and had begun browsing the Internet for information on life and death philosophies and spiritual concepts. It usually took him at least three or four read-through to understand everything correctly but hopefully that long, thorough search would compensate his lack of knowledge.

Alas, he had yet to find an answer. Resurrection, reincarnation, immortality, cycle of life and death, eternal return… Between scientists, philosophers, religious people and random dreamers or tale-tellers, there were dozens of theories, from the most realistic to the most preposterous. Problem was, nothing he found was the exact same as his own situation; there were some common points here and there but it was never a perfect match. And after three boring hours of reading pages and pages of intellectual crap, he was seriously overdosing on spirituality and mysticism, hence his decision to take a well-deserved break.

Hidan was still sipping his drink when another part of the puzzle popped up in his mind. Until now, he'd only focused his attention on _what_ he was dealing with, never on _who_. Even though the genius from Konoha was the one who interested him most, the presence of the boy's old teammates and of the former fifth Kazekage, not to mention an Uchiha that could well be Itachi's brother, led him to believe that some of their friends, if not all of them, were also individuals from the Ninja Era suddenly coming out of nowhere thousands of years later. And aside from a handful of facts, they were as much of a mystery as their existence itself. Learning more about them might not help figuring out all this mess but it was worth a try; this was precisely why he'd invited them in the first place after all.

Sitting at his desk once again, he resumed his search with a new objective in mind. At first, it proved ineffective but he wasn't expecting any better. Tracking down specific persons on the net when you know virtually nothing about them and they are not famous is no small feat. His only leads were their names and the fact that all of them, save for Konohamaru, were students living at the university of Mintos. Still, each time among the results were links to CyberLife, the most popular social network in the world. Of course, he didn't have an account himself but for the sake of his investigation, he created one, hoping to have more success there.

Unfortunately, although there were several 'Shikamaru Nara' on the website, none of those who had a public profile appeared to be the shadow-nin haunting his memory. Same for his gluttonous buddy Chouji. The first one he came upon was that blonde-fury Ino who, unlike them, was either kind, naïve or dumb enough to grant full access to her page even to strangers like him. He wouldn't complain though as it permitted him to nose around in her friends list where everybody else could be found.

In the end, all the members of the beach group were registered on CyberLife but only nine out of twenty three weren't completely private. Aside from the ponytailed harpy, these included Lee, Kiba, Konohamaru, Naruto, Sai, Sakura, Suigetsu and Zaku. All the others were out of reach for now.

However, not everyone had the same policy and behavior in terms of privacy. Sai was the most restrictive of them as the only thing he showed to strangers were various works of art, from basic drawings made for fun to impressive paintings, especially to Hidan who sucked at pretty much all forms of art in existence. Lee, Zaku and Suigetsu were a bit disappointing; their messages could be seen, and they clearly wrote a lot but rarely about them. This was different with Ino and Sakura. These two loved talking about themselves but only to say how gorgeous they were or how ugly the other was in comparison; a beauty contest that lasted ever since their first meeting. Last but not least were Naruto, Kiba and Konohamaru. It seemed these guys had no problem writing about themselves, even about others occasionally. Sadly, most of the time it was only about classes or friends which wasn't very helpful for the albino's research but hopefully, a few useful things could still be extracted from them.

A long study then ensued; basic information from profiles, statuses, pictures… everything the immortal could access was thoroughly examined. It often proved worthless but that was the only way he had to gather a tiny bit of intel. Although he didn't learn so much about each of them separately, this ultimately gave him a simple outline of the troop's forming over the years. Part of its creation was recent but several smaller, older clusters could be made out as well as the relationships between them.

Judging from the photos he was authorized to see, a lot of them were childhood friends going all the way back to elementary school, some even before that. Four trios had such a history: Shikamaru-Chouji-Ino, Kiba-Shino-Hinata, Neji-Lee-Tenten and Naruto-Sasuke-Sakura. Sai had joined the latter at some stage in Junior High.

The main link between all of them was yet another trio, namely Kiba, Naruto and Shikamaru. The three boys had first met when they were ten at summer camp. Apparently, they had immediately become very close friends and had stayed in touch after that, arranging things so they could see each other again during future vacations. The friendship between them along with the family ties between Neji and Hinata were obviously what had brought these thirteen kids together to form the core of the current group.

Another evident component was the Akabane siblings; Kankurou, Gaara and Temari. It appears their first encounter with the others dated from only three months ago. However, there was no indication whether it was a random event or if they ran into each others for a specific reason.

Likewise for the latest newcomers Zaku, Dosu and Kin, who arrived barely a few weeks ago. Except in their case, Hidan hadn't discovered the relationship between these three so far. They've obviously been best friends for more than fifteen years and went to school together but it was unclear as to how they first got to know each others.

Even more mysterious were Suigetsu, Juugo and Karin. The albino had searched everywhere in vain, never finding a single clue regarding them, where they came from or how they first met the others. The only single thing he could say was that all three of them suddenly started appearing on the Uzamaki's pictures a few years ago with no apparent reason, and that the blonde boy referred to them as 'friends of Sasuke'. No other detail about them had leaked out, no matter how hard he rummaged around Suigetsu or Naruto's profiles.

Finally, there was Konohamaru. Surprisingly, the teen was once a common friend of Naruto and Shikamaru, whom he had met separately only to find out much later that they both knew each other as well. In fact, checking the kid's picture had also revealed another all-too familiar face; his uncle with whom he lived.

Asuma Sarutobi, the shinobi he'd murdered with his own hands, ultimately leading to his utter defeat against his prey's vengeful pupil.

That unexpected revelation had definitely removed all doubts still lingering in his mind. Although it was naturally impossible for him to know what had occurred after he ended up being buried in his earthen prison, there was at least one fact he was absolutely sure of: the bearded man was dead before his own demise. And now, the last victim of Jashin's curse was back among the livings as well. This was the last evidence he needed to be confident that the Shikamaru encountered on the beach was the Konoha genius who had battled against him; the one and only 'immortal-killer'. And one more reason for him to solve this mystery.

Alas, aside from that surprise and the various relations inside the group, he hadn't learned so much, especially concerning his number one target; only a tiny about some of his companion.

He was about to turn off his computer and return to his bed when an intriguing fact came back to his mind, namely the physical resemblance between Sasuke and Itachi. Despite Naruto mentioning the first raven here and there for random reasons, he hadn't read anything interesting regarding him or his family.

There was not a single Cyberlife account by the name of Itachi Uchiha, or at least no public one. However, this time he wasn't looking for only one person but for a link between two, a huge difference that convinced him to try his luck outside the social network, using basic search engines. His attention was soon attracted by a five year old newspaper article as it included the picture of four people referred to as 'the Uchiha family'; a couple with two sons reminding him of Sasuke and Itachi, albeit a bit younger.

...

_**'Aequo pulsat pede'**_

_At first sight, what occurred yesterday is but yet another double murder amongst the so numerous tragic events taking place everyday. The particularity here is the identity of the victims._

_It all began when six gunshots suddenly rang out around 11 PM in Chuo, the rich and normally quiet neighbourhood of Byzel. Warned by some passers-by, the police discovered the lifeless bodies of the renowned businessman Fugaku Uchuhi and his wife, Mikoto Uchiha, lying in a pool of their own blood in the living-room of their luxurious residence._

_No more information was given so far. Commissioner Bialès, who is in charge of the investigation, is waiting for the forensic experts' reports on the crime scene and the autopsies before making a new statement._

_However, even if no hypothesis has officially been ruled out, it would appear this killing is the consequence of a family tragedy with the number one suspect being none other than the couple's oldest son, Itachi Uchiha._

_Indeed, a source wishing to remain anonymous confirmed to us that the investigators have a witness: Sasuke Uchiha, the victims' youngest son who was found safe and sound by the officers as they searched the house, then taken to a safe, secret place in order to be questioned. According to our informant, the boy would have seen his brother standing over their parents' corpses with a gun in his hand. When the latter noticed his presence, he apparently attempted to shoot him as well but the teenager managed to run away and hide in the attic. The police arrived shortly after the encounter, saving the child's life as the murderer decided to flee, rather than fight them._

_However, the young survivor has been unable to shed some light on the exact circumstances of the murders, especially regarding his elder's motive._

_Following the death of the company's main directors, a crisis meeting has been planned in the headquarters of UHTC. According to the official statement from the spokesperson, a temporary management team will be discussed and voted on in order to 'ensure the business continuity despite this horrible tragedy'. The new team will run the family group until one of Fugaku and Mikoto's heirs decides to take the lead again. _

_Unless Itachi was somehow proven to be innocent, only Sasuke will be allowed to lay such a claim once he reaches the age of eighteen. Should he choose not to, the rest of the Uchiha family would then have to decide whether to maintain the new team or to elect yet another one._

_...  
_

Judging from the more recent articles about this story, no real progress had been made after that. Police has been appealing for witnesses, sadly with very little success; a passer-by confirmed having seen Itachi passing through the entrance gate shortly before the gunshots rang out. The forensic experts had not been able to discover any useful evidence to establish his guilt or innocence. And more importantly, he was still on the run…

Finding nothing else worth reading for his own investigation on the siblings, Hidan launched a series of searches on the other members of the Akatsuki, hoping to determine whether his former partners were back as well. Kakuzu, Kisame, Deidara, Sasori, Tobi, Pein, Konan and Zetsu… He tried all their names but to no avail; he wasn't expecting any better though considering he only had was their first name to work with.

That was the last lead he could think of for now. Therefore, the albino finally turned off his computer and went back to his bed with a deep sigh of frustration. First because he still had no idea was he was dealing with; and second because he felt like he wasn't getting anywhere. Each answer led only to more questions and the more he knew, the more confused he was. Needless to say this was pissing him off, and that's a euphemism.

The only good news was that he was now much more tired than before. He had to get some rest; the troop was coming the next day and he'd have to be polite, subtle and intelligent in order to gain their trust and watch them. Three traits that were definitely unlike him at all. This was going to be a very tough job for him and it would simply prove impossible should he be exhausted as well. He had to sleep!

Minutes later, he was dreaming already…

* * *

Even though it was only the fifth week of the school year, most students had already developed a number of small habits. One such example could currently be found in one of the university's computer labs where, as every Monday, a group of freshmen had their last lesson of the morning; a period attended by a rather heterogeneous trio of boys, except for the all demonstrated.

Sitting next to each other near a window, an amber-haired giant was talking in a low voice about nature and animals with a guy whose dark bushy hair was rising up in the air as if to make up for the height difference between them. For an unknown reason, the latter was wearing some sunglasses; a surprising fact considering he was indoors, not to mention the shitty weather outside with no sun at all. Actually, he wore them all the time, even at night or during a pitch black storm.

At the back of the room, right behind these two, was their lazy friend presently in the middle of his usual snooze. Just as he no longer asked the other to remove his glasses, their current teacher had also given up on trying to keep the sluggard awake. Not out of sympathy mind you; only to save himself from another humiliating session. The first and last time he was bold enough to do so, he had stupidly suggested that if his lesson was so incredibly boring, maybe the boy could take his place and give a better one. Too bad for him, he didn't know the kid was a real geek ever since his childhood and had the required knowledge to actually do so. And for the sake of definitely putting the old man in his place, he had ignored his ever so lethargic mind and actually accepted the challenge. Successfully… so much that now, he could now nap peacefully until the shrill ringing of the bell finally announced the lunch break.

When that oh-so awaited moment arrived, the sleepyhead swiftly put his things in his bag and stood up, feeling a tiny bit of motivation for the first time of the day, although he didn't show it. He and his companions then set off for the room where the group always gathered when the weather prevented them from enjoying the campus' lawn. The gigantic one was leading all along as it was easier for him to force his way through the swarm of students invading the corridors. With his help, it took them less than a minute to reach their destination where five of their friends were already waiting for them to arrive.

A lively discussion was going on between Naruto, Kiba and Zaku. Meanwhile, Dosu simply listened and didn't say much; Hinata, nothing at all. The newcomers went to sit near them, Shino quickening his pace to hug and share a kiss with his shy girlfriend. None of the three was very talkative either, so they let the others do the talking as they previously did. However, it wasn't long before the sudden, brutal opening of the room's only door attracted everyone's attention, only for them to see a very edgy Sasuke come in and take a seat next to the blue-eyed blonde.

"Again?" the latter asked cautiously, he and all the others having already figured out what was going on.

"Again! And this time, they began before class even started!" His sentence wasn't even finished when two familiar female voices coming from the corridor could be heard. Considering the deafening volume, the murderous tone and the foul language, it was easy for everyone to guess that yet another dispute was going on between the group's two show-offs, a deduction soon confirmed by the harpies' entrance in the room.

This was another Monday ritual: a new episode in the 'Ino vs Sakura' series; a war that began on the very second when they met each other. Not that it was so rare; ever since their first encounter, arguments pretty much occurred on a daily basis. Those were often limited to insults and venomous retorts but blows were occasionally traded as well. The most surprising part of the story was that, despite their numerous fights, they somehow decided to become flatmates and were still alive after weeks of living together.

What made this specific time so special was the presence of the Uchiha. Many girls in the university were literally crazy about the handsome raven. These two were no exception and the problem was that he had the misfortune to have his last lesson of the morning with both of them. This led to the two rivals doing their best to get his attention and receive more compliments from him than the other. Needless to say it always ended up in the same way: an all-out verbal sparring with the boy in the middle. And once they were started, there was no stopping them, especially not in his case. Every time he tried, they would accuse each other of angering him, only resulting in an even louder dispute.

"For God's sake, shut them up or I'm gonna break down!" Sasuke begged with distressed eyes quite unlike him.

Naruto and Kiba were about to fix the situation in their own way as Sai and Suigetsu entered the room, a sign that maybe Lady Luck had heard his plea and decided to smile on him for once. The young artist immediately understood what was going on and went straight towards the two best enemies. Without a moment's hesitation, he put himself between them, snaked an arm around Sakura's waist and French kissed her, effectively silencing both of them in the process; a bold move that earned him a silent blessing from everyone else. And yes, despite being a real groupie of the Uchiha, the pink-haired girl was actually dating the other raven.

A few minutes later, the rest of the troop had arrived, bringing the number of people in the room up to twenty-one. As usual, instead of having lunch at the university restaurant or another such place, each of them provided something to eat or drink, then everything was gathered together for everyone to help themselves.

For obvious reasons that no one would dare mention before him for fear of being beaten to a pulp right on the spot, Chouji contributed more than the others. In fact, about a quarter of the food came from him; of course, he devoured about as much, sometimes more. However, it wasn't like one of them would complain about it. All the dishes he brought with him were top quality, prepared with his father's help, a professional chef of great talent; a hundred times more delicious than what his companions could offer.

"Everyone still ok for tonight?" Kiba asked, raising his voice to get everyone's attention during the meal. "We're all off to the Alba Madonna after class?"

"Temari should be waiting for us outside when we leave. If for some reason she couldn't make it on time, she's supposed to text me and join us later." Kankurou answered, sitting right next to him with his plate.

"Konohamaru won't be there. Damn moron somehow got detention for tonight…" Naruto informed him, rolling his eyes as he did even though his tone gave his mirth away.

"Ok. Anyone else who can't or doesn't want to be there?" The tattooed-boy interpreted the lack of answer as the confirmation that everyone would be present as scheduled.

"How do we get ourselves organized though?" Shikamaru inquired with a much quieter voice. "I need to fetch my keyboard from my flat. Same for you with your guitar." He added to the Inuzuka.

"Well, I don't recall anyone mentioning a specific hour. We could quickly drop by our places and gather in front of the university dorm before going there." Suigetsu suggested.

"Sorry if I'm gonna sound like an ass but…" Zaku suddenly warned, all eyes turning towards him. "…am I the only one of us who smells a rat? We barely met the guy and he's already granting us free access to his luxurious estate. It's almost as if he was willing to give us the key to get in whenever we want. I mean it's not like he's a beggar with nothing to steal from him; from what Temari said, he's a multimillionaire. Fuck, if it were me, I'd definitely be warier of about twenty complete strangers.

"Well, when Naruto offered the three of you to be part of our group a month ago, you didn't know us any more than he does." Sakura mentioned with a smirk, pointing at him, Dosu and Kin with her index. "It doesn't look like you regret accepting his proposition."

"Except these are two completely different situations." the spiky-haired boy retorted. "Initially, he simply asked if we'd be interested in joining the music band, nothing more. We didn't invite all of you into our dorm room. And we're obviously not as rich as he is."

"Personally, I agree with him." Ino said with unusual seriousness. "Judging from what we've seen yesterday, Hidan appears to be a really nice person, I'll give you that. But I don't know why, something about him gives me some very bad vibes. It's hard to explain but I have the feeling he's a lot more dangerous than he looks. I know I don't have any proof or any reason to say this; just call that woman's instinct."

"You sure it's not your pig instinct?" In a split second, the two beauty queens wannabe were once again glaring daggers at each other, eager to start yet another long series of insults and childish remarks. Fortunately for the Uchiha's nerves who hadn't recovered from their earlier torture, Sai took care of calming his girlfriend down one more time while Shino immediately jumped in the conversation, breaking his own silence only to prevent the ponytailed-blonde to reply.

"I have to admit it bothers me as well but Sakura has a point. Naruto wouldn't have welcomed us in his house, he'd have dragged us all the way up there. However, I believe all of us will agree that he is anything but malevolent. As suspicious as Hidan can be, he deserves the benefit of the doubt, right? As you said, we barely met him, so let's take some time so we can get to know him a bit more. If in the end, we get confirmation that he is dangerous for real, we'll act accordingly and leave as soon as possible. But he may also turn out to be a nice guy, and then we'll have a new friend and a great place where all of us can gather. The least we can do is giving him a chance to prove himself, don't you think?"

Everyone was then asked his opinion on the matter one after the after. Several other members had some doubts about their new acquaintance from the beach but all of them concurred in the bespectacled boy's plan as well as Suigetsu's suggestion to take some time before going to the Alba Madonna. After that short debate, the small talk resumed with a wide range of topic being addressed until the break came close to its end, forcing the group to disperse and head for their respective rooms.

* * *

"Damn it, die you son of a bitch! Die! Die! DIE! DIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIE!"

Seven… For the seventh time in a row, he just had his ass severely kicked by the final boss. No matter what tactic he tried or what mutations he activated, nothing ever seemed to work, not even flinging copters or jet fighters in the bastard's face. Hand-to-hand fighting was a laugh… A dozen punches or kicks were barely enough to remove one or two pixels of his life bar while his character lost at least a third of his own life with each attack. He then had no other choice but to run around the carrier to grab random soldiers and heal himself to avoid dying stupidly because of a Devastator attack from the giant ultra-powerful piece of shit. Oh, and of course, his own ones were completely useless; they even tended to be deadly for himself instead of his opponent.

Anyway, needless to say that the albino was quite a sore loser and that the damn monster was seriously pissing him off. The ironic part was that he had been playing that game not only to finish it but also to let some steam off before the living mysteries arrived. The end result was the complete opposite: he had made no progress at all and he was now mad with rage.

As obstinate as ever when facing such a situation, he was about to start his eighth attempt when the intercom rang, signaling that the long-awaited meeting had come. After quickly checking that this wasn't a false alarm, he opened the gate and went to wait for their arrival on the doorstep. A short while later, seven cars were parked in front of the annex.

The torrential rain pouring on the region was even thicker than the previous night. Consequently, the immortal urged his guests to quickly take shelter inside, which they did at without a moment's hesitation.

"Fuck… you said the place was great but _that_… it's just awesome!" Suigetsu's amazed reaction as he entered the large room was most appreciated by Hidan; if all these youngsters loved his estate that much, then as long as he didn't screw up, it would be unlikely for them to leave and seriously impede his investigation.

"So, did you bring your stuff with you?" the ex-jashinist asked to the band members while their friends discovered the place.

"Yeah, it's all in our trunks." Naruto replied with a quick glance towards the outside. Judging from their faces, no one was really looking forward to facing the shitty weather again.

With a small laugh, their host suggested they first decide where to put their instruments and then move the furniture to free some space if necessary. Sadly, this didn't take so long, and of course the sky was no clearer by then. However, thanks to the help of the whole team, unloading the cars was only a matter of seconds.

After that, about ten minutes were enough for the musicians to set everything up. All that remained was for them to give it a try in order to check that it was all working fine, which was the perfect opportunity for the albino to see what the band was made of.

At the front of the stage stood the blue-eyed blonde, the only one who didn't have an instrument. He was the main singer; a pretty strange fact for anyone who ever heard his ever so shrilling voice and his permanent over-excited state. Yet as soon as the song began, not only did he suddenly show some exceptional self-control but he actually proved to have some undeniable talent. Hidan had never been a music lover but even he was forced to admit that the boy was far more gifted than he looked.

Next to him was Sai, the violin virtuoso who had the exact same deep concentration on his face as he had while drawing on the beach. Surprisingly, even though his instrument was kind of an intruder among the much more prevalent ones in such bands, the different sounds blended together to give a wonderful music. The immortal had also seen the raven manipulate the traverse flute laying on the ground not far from him; he supposed that he must be using it for other pieces.

Behind these two was Zaku, the bass player, surrounded on each side by Kiba and Sasuke, the guitarists. All of them were in high spirits, which was normal for the first two but extremely unusual for the Uchiha who rarely made any public display of emotion, especially not positive ones. At the back was Dosu, the drummer, beating the rhythm followed by everybody else.

Finally, at the latter's right was Shikamaru behind his keyboard. At first sight, he was as motivated as ever, meaning not at all, but observing him a bit longer revealed that he was genuinely psyched up for once. His fingers worked the keys with such an impressive mastery, it was obvious that he was no random beginner. Furthermore, although his eyes were mostly focused on his instrument, he occasionally looked up for one or two seconds to check on his partners, showing a liveliness and a seriousness completely opposite to his typical laziness. Still, that expression wasn't new to the ex-jashinist; the shadow-nin wore the exact same during their past duel.

As the song was coming to an end, Hidan got closer to Chouji currently snacking on some potato chips not far from him. "I'm surprised; for someone you keep calling a loafer, he seems to be quite the musician." he pointed out while keeping his eyes on the pineapple-head.

"That's one of the very few things that interest him, along with computing and shogi. For anything else, he's got zero motivation." the food lover clarified between two bites. His neutral tone indicated that his remark wasn't meant to be a reproach; he was merely stating an indisputable fact.

"Shogi?" The word was vaguely familiar but the albino couldn't remember what it was or when he had last heard about it.

"A game he read about on the net." The brunette informed him. "I'm no expert myself but from what he told me, it was discovered by archeologists during some excavations. Apparently, it's at least two or three thousand years old, maybe even more."

"A friendly advice: if you don't like losing, don't ever play against him." Ino warned him, standing next to her gluttonous companion. The questioning look she got from a pair of amethyst eyes convinced her to explain herself. "It's a strategy board game pretty similar to chess and as weird as it may sound, Shikamaru happens to have an over-the-top IQ. Yeah, I know it's not exactly obvious but that lazy ass actually has a brain."

"Don't be jealous Ino. Hopefully, you can afford one for yourself someday." The retort came from the genius himself who had been able to hear the gossip girl's comment as there was no music anymore. The immortal shared an amused smile with the Akimichi boy while the touchy blonde was searching for a counter-attack of her own.

"So, everything okay?" Hidan asked before another dispute could begin. After a few quick corrections, the band members confirmed that all was working perfectly.

With the setting up finally finished, they left their instruments to join the rest of the group. Most of them were already making themselves at home such as Suigetsu and Temari who were testing the various games consoles that the annex had to offer, Kankurou drinking with Shino by the minibar, or Juugo challenging Neji to the pool table.

Everyone then enjoyed the place for a nice relaxing moment. The albino frequently went from one guest to another and talked a bit with each and every of them without being too nosy for now. His last, much longer stop was at the bar where the Nara had settled down and was now chatting with the other boys sitting there.

An hour later, the twenty-two students left the estate and headed back to their respective homes. They would have stayed longer if not for their homework, lessons and other activities waiting for them. Meanwhile, Hidan went to prepare dinner for himself, reflecting on that rather brief visit as he did.

The first step of his plan could easily be considered a success. Judging from what he had seen and heard, the whole group seemed to like the Alba Madonna and were definitely willing to use it whether for rehearsing or simply for recreation. Unless something really bad occurred, they would certainly be coming here again in the future, which was exactly what the ex-jashinist wanted.

Sadly, the same couldn't be said about him. Although none of them had shown any hostility against him, it was obvious that they didn't consider him a friend yet, the only exception being the Uzumaki but then again, it was hard to guess what the whiskered-boy thought for real, if he knew how to think that is. Anyway, getting to know every single of them was his next task in order to earn their full trust. It would certainly take a very long time, which didn't help with the immortal's frustration and impatience but that was the only choice he had.

Once he was done with his cooking, Hidan went up to his room and sat in front of his computer, giving a deep sigh at the prospect of what he was about to do. Spending some time with the kids might be part of his plan but at least it could be fun. On the contrary, reading some damn texts about philosophy or religion was boring as hell. What's worse, he wasn't even sure that it would eventually give him an answer in the end.

In any case, he had just begun what would be a long-term job and there would be no result at first. Fortunately, being an immortal, time wasn't exactly a problem for him…

* * *

**Author's notes:**

**Now the group's finally settled in the Alba Madonna. Finally time to work on the relationship between Hidan and the others, and especially Shikamaru. :p  
**

**For the curious ones, 'Slumber' is an anagram of 'Bulmers'. I'm a fan of cider myself and while searching for a name for Hidan's drink, I found this out and thought it would be ironical for for both Hidan and Shikamaru to have such a drink.  
**

**Also, '__****Aequo pulsat pede**' is a Latin expression which basically means '_Death strikes everyone in the same way'._  


**The title for this chapter is a reference to a soundtrack from the wonderful game 'Kingdom Hearts II'.  
**

**Thank you for reading, even more for reviewing. Don't hesitate to point any mistake, inconsistency or anything. Useful criticism is always welcome, especially for a beginner like me.**


	4. Lazy Afternoons

**All right people, I have some good and some bad news.**

**First the good one: two chapters instead of only one.**

**Now the bad one: why two chapters? Because in my opinion, chapter 4 sucks so much I didn't want to publish it alone. That's why you get chapter 5 as well. But you know what? Chapter 5 sucks too... -_-'**

**The thing is we're only at the very beginning of the HidaShika relationship. They are merely getting to know each other and the other intrigue has yet to start so the action is... scratch that, there's no action yet in fact. It's boring. Just a lot of talking. Hopefully, chapter 6 will be more interesting; I'm sure you can all guess what it will be about.**

******Anyway, thanks a lot to all those who took time to review up until now. If possible, if you're too lazy to login (happens to all of us from time to time :p), please be sure to use your exact member name as I try to reply to every single one of you.**

******As usual, author's notes can be found at the bottom.  
**

**Thank you for your attention and happy reading!**

* * *

Awkward. Yeah, this word best fitted the current situation in the Alba Madonna's annex.

On one side was the estate's owner, standing on the stairs leading to the second floor. Someone had just opened the front door as he was coming down from his bedroom, hence his surprised expression. Not because he didn't know the newcomer; quite the contrary actually. It was the boy whose face was forever carved in his memory; one whose deep inky eyes could switch from drowsy and lazy to cunning and vivacious in a split second, and whose spiky ponytail had earned him the nickname of '_pineapple head_', or '_pineapple'_ for short. No, the cause of his confusion was the very presence of the Nara here at a moment when he was supposed to be at the campus.

Looking at him from the door-frame across the room was the genius, clad in sneakers, grey jeans and a brown t-shirt barely visible under a dark green hoodie.

On the other hand, Shikamaru expected to find Hidan here… but not _like this_, that is to say bare-chested, wearing nothing but black jeans with an open leather belt, a small towel hanging loosely on his shoulders, water still dripping from his silver locks. Pretending that it made him uncomfortable would be lying though. If he was being honest, the _slightly_ older man was devilishly handsome, his clear pale skin covering a very athletic build including some outstanding six-pack abs although not as beefy as those monstrous mass of muscles calling themselves 'bodybuilders'. It was truly a sight to behold.

Judging by the albino's behavior throughout the previous weeks and by the discussions he'd had with his younger guests, he clearly wasn't the shy, prudish type of guy, and he definitely wasn't one to be embarrassed should a friend see him like this. Still, as much as he loved the gorgeous eyeful in front of him, the sluggard restrained himself from staring, first out of basic politeness. Accidently stumbling upon the immortal half-naked was one thing; gawking at him like he was some splendid work of art was another. But more importantly, if he kept drooling over it for too long, it could eventually lead to some pretty embarrassing physical consequences, more than just some stupid blushing.

"Guess I came in at wrong time…" Shikamaru eventually stated, breaking the uneasy silence hovering over them.

"Nah, it's fine. I simply wasn't expecting anyone so soon. Shouldn't you be at school?"

"Teacher's sick so my last two hours have been cancelled. I was thinking of settling down here for the afternoon. That okay with you?"

"Well unless you have a problem with me being shirtless, sure." Hidan replied with a teasing tone, walking towards him as he did.

The Nara returned the smile without a single word and closed the door behind him. After sharing a brofist with the albino, he dropped his bag on one of the sofas and went to sit on one of the stools by the bar in the kitchen area where the other was already digging around the fridge. As he watched him preparing his meal, he let his mind wander while remembering their first encounter.

Ever since the original meeting on the beach a month ago, all of them gathered at the Alba Madonna at least two or three times a week, whether after class or during the week-ends. He could even be considered part of the team given how several of them dropped by on a nearly daily basis, especially among the music band, so much that they hung around with him more than with some other members of the group.

Looking back on the numerous days and night he had spent there, Shikamaru couldn't help but notice that he had never come here all by himself. In fact, none of them did; they always turned up in small clusters rather than alone. However, this detail didn't worry him in the least. Over time, even those who were most wary of this suspiciously overgenerous stranger had gotten to know him better and they now agreed to say that he had proven himself hospitable and trustworthy. Of course, one could wonder if it wasn't a very twisted act; if he wasn't a bloodthirsty murderer hiding behind a traitorous mask of friendship and kindness until an opportunity to capture and torture them slowly and cruelly presented itself. But the supergenius didn't have such doubts.

No, Hidan was a good guy. He knew it.

The immortal drew him out of his reverie a short while later when offering them something to eat or drink, and as he caught soda thrown at him, his eyes landed once more on the wet silvery hair.

"You fresh out of the shower?" he asked, which the other confirmed. "Don't tell me you got out of bed just now?"

"Nah, I've been training for a few hours, since waking up. I finished about half an hour ago."

"Training for?" he went on, a faint glint of interest shining deep in his pitch-black pools.

"Nothing specific. It's more like working out. Running, abdominals, push-ups, pull-ups… you know, the sort of things you do in order to stay fit."

His explanation wasn't entirely true. Not that he was lying; he simply preferred to remain silent on the ninjutsu part that followed the physical one. Back when the younger boy was a gifted shadow-nin, it would have been such a self-evident fact that mentioning it would have been useless. Nowadays, it was only to avoid sounding like a demented lunatic ripe for a prolonged stay in an insane asylum.

"Man, how can you exercise for hours this early in the morning ? So troublesome…" the lazy-ass whispered.

"Not everyone's as lazy as you. Plus I have to make up for not doing anything last week-end, all because I had to keep an eye on a group of squatters.

Between Hidan's joking tone and mocking smirk, it was easy to understand that this was no reproach, merely a friendly tease that shouldn't be taken seriously. Judging by Shikamaru's amused expression, he had obviously grasped this underlying meaning.

"Too bad. I hope they weren't too much of a bother."

"Horrible. Noisy as hell. They spent the whole days playing some shitty music, claiming that they are preparing for a concert but would anyone be dumb enough to willingly torture its own ears by listening to such losers, even for free?"

"Well, there's the dimwit who accommodates them."

"They actually found someone who puts up with them?"

"Yeah, some kind of mental freak."

Despite his infinite sluggishness, the pineapple head successfully avoided the apple that the albino threw at him at the exact moment when the microwave's alarm informed the latter that his leftovers were hot and ready. His plate in one hand, a bottle of _Slumber_ in the other, he took place by the counter in front of his guest whose attention was soon attracted by the smell of gingerbread tickling his nose.

"Carbonade flamande ?" he inquired with a half-curious half-amazed gaze.

Hidan confirmed with a grunt and a nod. He got the same answer when asking whether they were homemade or not. Then, raising himself up on his seat, he leaned over the bar, his hand going for the plate. He considered the lack of protest as a permission to pick a small piece of meat, astonishment appearing on his face as he tasted it.

"Funny, I'd never have suspected you to be a chef." Shikamaru admitted while licking the sauce off his fingers.

For once, the immortal took time to swallow his mouthful before talking.

"Try to live alone, eating the same shit over and over again. Eventually, you'll be so sick of it, you'll actually be happy to pull your finger!

Truth be told, it had taken approximately three centuries to convince him to learn the basics of cooking, then one or two more millennia to reach a decent level. A thousand years ago, in order to improve his skills and earn money, he had opened his own inn in the town where he had temporarily settled down. At some point though, he had been forced to close down his business and leave the country in a hurry to avoid committing a bloodbath. The reason for this hasty departure was simple; one of his customers had made the terrible mistake of giving him a storm of caustic criticism that had quickly gotten the better of his extremely limited patience, bringing back his good old explosive temper. In the end, no amount of guards could stop him from beating the infuriating fool to a bloody pulp. Too bad for him, his severely injured victim happened to be none other than the heir to the throne. Needless to say the royal asshole was _very_ pissed off…

"Well, Naruto's been living alone for years yet he's unable to make anything other than instant ramen." the Nara pointed out.

"Look who's talking. I bet you never made anything by yourself, you lazy-ass." Hidan taunted him with a teasing tone.

"Heh, being Choji's flatmate has its advantages." Shikamaru retorted with a cunning smile.

"He sure cooks like a pro but the food budget must be skyrocket high.

"Which is precisely why we have our very own way to share the expenses. I pay the whole rent, he takes care of shopping. A rather good trade for me."

"What a crook!" the albino insulted him, clearly not meaning it.

"Like you're one to talk. What proves me that this is no frozen ready meal?

"Is this a challenge?"

A mocking smirk crept on the genius' face. He didn't need to do any more than that; this simple gesture was enough to get his impulsive elder started.

"You know if someone's got a problem with curry?" the latter asked after a brief silence.

"Not that I know of."

"Alright, then warn the others not to bring any pizza tonight."

For Hidan to accept so quickly was not only due to his enormous pride which exhorted him to take up any challenge thrown at him. All throughout his incredibly lengthy existence, he had noted on various occasions how easier it was to satisfy one's stomach compared to one's brain. Feeding someone is undoubtedly one of the most efficient methods to gain his or her trust, an objective he'd given his best to achieve with that crazy bunch for weeks.

"On a side note, keep in mind that Ino's a 'vegetarian'." Shikamaru warned him, emphasizing the last word with air quotes.

"Crap, I'd completely forgotten about her, that so-called veggie who eats fish nonetheless… What a laugh!"

"Yeah, we told her countless times that a _real_ vegetarian eats neither meat nor fish but she doesn't seem to get it. She never does anyway."

"You know, it's a good thing she's blonde, otherwise it would mean she's just dumb." the immortal joked, a reference to a ventriloquist whom the kids had recently talked about. "Oh well, guess I'll have to make a second meal." he concluded, gulping the last bite of his lunch.

The Nara intended to add something but his host quickly slipped away to the second floor before he could. Therefore, with nothing better to do, he texted the albino's message to the group all the while making his way to the living-room area where his bag was waiting for him. He dug an electronic shogi board out of it, laid it on the coffee table and started a new game against a computer set to maximum difficulty. Deep in his thoughts, he didn't remark the ex-jashinist was back until the latter suddenly tore him out of it.

"Still beating your brains out on that shit? Don't you ever do anything else?"

Raising his eyes, he found Hidan leaning over the couch's back, his head right above his own. He had traded his towel for a dark blue t-shirt covering his athletic torso. Shikamaru couldn't figure whether it disappointed or relieved him.

"Says the guy who spends his life playing video games."

"Touché…"

"Instead of criticizing without knowledge, why don't you give it a try?"

The immortal was wearing such a weird expression, it was nigh impossible to say whether he was surprised, amused or shocked by the suggestion. Maybe a bit of all three.

"In case you didn't notice, strategy and tactics aren't my strong suit."

"Then see this as an opportunity to improve yourself. Plus you'd be one more opponent for me to train with; one that isn't as predictable as the computer."

In normal times, Hidan would have _kindly_ ordered him to fuck off but this was a very unique situation, one that only he could encounter. The proposition wasn't coming from any random guy but from Shikamaru Nara, the one and only _living_ being to have ever defeated him. The one whose outstanding intelligence and whose gift as a tactician had overcome his immortality and led him to his earthen imprisonment. He was aware that he owed his freedom solely to luck and that she might not smile upon him again should he end up in the same predicament once more. The best course of action to prevent this frightening scenario was to train hard; and here he had the greatest coach he could ever dream of to work on the worst of his weakness.

Still, even if this was a wonderful offer that he couldn't refuse on paper, pretending that the prospect of playing shogi psyched him up or simply delighted him would be lying. A fact that he made no effort to hide as he took a seat in front of his opponent.

"What a match; the prodigy who dedicates his very life to this game versus the rookie who doesn't know jack about it, not even the most basic rules. Man, the suspense is unbearable. Who's gonna win, I wonder…"

_How troublesome_… Shikamaru inwardly sighed while arranging the pieces back to their original positions. _What the hell did I get myself into?_

The very same reflection came across Hidan's mind, aside from the obligatory additional swearing…

* * *

Meanwhile, miles away from there, an ordinary Tuesday afternoon was taking place in Mintos.

In a packed lecture hall, a small group of students was waiting impatiently for the last period of the day to come to an end. Save for one exception, all of them were as focused as the rest of their class, meaning not at all. One could hardly blame them though; despite being unquestionably erudite in chemistry, the fifty-years old man's complete lack of liveliness and teaching skills didn't help with getting and keeping their attention. Consequently, instead of listening to him assiduously, everyone was killing time in his own way.

Wearing his trademark sunglasses, Shino was currently exchanging furtive gestures of affection with his beloved Hinata whose overwhelming shyness kept making her blush even after years of them two being an item. Something concerned him since a few minutes though: what the hell were the three idiots sitting right in front of him up to?

Even if that trio consisted purely of very close friends, their muffled laughter along with their scheming faces worried him to no end, firstly because it was Suigetsu who had started all this. His liking for sick jokes was no longer to prove. What's worse, whatever dumb idea had crossed his mind, sharing it with Sai and Sasuke had earned him an approving grin from both of them, a very disturbing fact considering how rarely these two let any emotion show, especially cheerful ones. The artist of the group had then begun to draw like a madman. Whatever his artwork depicted, it sure made his neighbors chuckle quite a lot.

Finally, a quarter of hour later, he folded his sheet and handed it to Karin, the only one who still had the courage to follow the lesson.

Located right next to her, the bugs lover discovered at the same time as her the numerous illustrations worthy of a porno website. The trio could barely hold back its mirth as they witnessed the utter embarrassment of 'miss stick-up-the-ass' as the white-haired prankster liked to call her. Unfortunately for her, her mortified look as she recognized herself in various suggestive positions with a bunch of hideous men was immortalized by the Hozuki's cellphone. He would suffer her wrath anyway, so he might as well keep a memento that he could share with the others, he reckoned.

Sitting by the window beside the Uchiha, Jugo didn't give ear to his friends' agitation. He was lost in his own universe, admiring the beauty of nature that he adored so much. Watching the animal kingdom moving freely within a vegetal world forever prisoner of the earth might sound boring and futile to most people but that was one of his favorite hobbies. It was also his preferred, much-needed stress relieving activity. Much more than observing the depressing spectacle offered by human civilization, made up of honk-happy cars, grayish concrete buildings and faceless strangers constantly on a rush.

At this exact moment however, it was neither the greenery in front of the campus nor the flock of birds flying in the darkening sky that retained his attention but two well-known living human tornadoes engaged in some odd chase. A sight that both intrigued and amused him.

This remarkable situation found its origin less than a minute ago in the students' common area. Contrary to their friends, Naruto and Gaara had already finished their day and they had come there for a quick drink before heading home. They were chatting… or to be more accurate, the ever-so-overexcited blond was doing most of the talking whereas the taciturn redhead merely slipped a few words every now and then. Aside from their respective temper, this uneven participation could also be explained by the Uzumaki suddenly switching the topic to the romantic lives of their friends for no particular reason. He had then been digressing about potential partners for each and every member of the group who was presently single, which included his tattooed interlocutor.

Of course, when it came to Temari's case, the whiskered boy demonstrated as little tact as ever by stating that 'no offense meant but no matter how sexy your sister is, finding someone to date and stick with such a tomboy is gonna be tough'. Gaara's reply was to silently point a finger at something behind the chatterbox. Turning around, the latter found himself face to face with said-older sister who had exceptionally stopped working on her project earlier than usual and had decided to drop in with Ino whom she had stumbled on in the corridors. Needless to say she hadn't missed a word of this nice speech regarding her, and by the way she was glaring daggers at him, she was pissed as hell.

That is why, fearing for his life, the careless blunderer had taken to his heels, fleeing from the infuriated Akabane sibling tailing him, eager to torture him and strangle him to death, leaving behind them a girl laughing her ass off and a guy showing one of his extremely rare smiles.

The amber-maned giant wasn't the only one to spot the two blonds chasing each other. Neji saw them as well from the window of the science lab where his last lesson of the day was taking place, and it did nothing but add to his already culminating exasperation. Indeed, unlike his classmates who were having trouble not to burst out laughing, the annoyed Hyuga couldn't hold back a facepalm; opposite reactions both caused by the extreme stupidity of the scene happening in front of them.

Their teacher was currently imploring Achmed to spare him. A brutal student? A desperate criminal on the run? A resolute terrorist? No; Achmed was none other than the human skeleton put on display near the whiteboard.

Yes, as weird as it may sound, when the professor was standing right before him, the decorative pile of bones placed an osseous hand on his shoulder. Even more surprising, the 'undead' could talk! He was claiming that he had come back seeking revenge against all the infidel scum who felt no remorse in desecrating his remains and refusing him a decent grave, thus preventing his soul from being granted access to the afterlife.

Fearful as he was, the forty years old man had fallen backwards. He was so terrified he didn't dare get any closer to the 'revenant'. Had he done it, he would have noticed the thin clear strings tied to various bones and running over the wide neon lights fixed suspended from the ceiling, which allowed a certain Kankuro to make good use of his puppeteer skills from his seat. He would also have realized that the ghostly voice was in fact coming from a miniature speaker hidden inside the skull by the talented voice actor Zaku.

The duo continued its peculiar performance until their frightened victim fled from the room without looking back. When he came back with some reinforcements, there were neither strings, nor speaker, nor undead left to be found; nothing but a lifeless skeleton and a horde of backstabbing youths acting as if nothing out of the ordinary had just occurred.

In a high school on the other side of town, another teacher was ensnared in a trap laid by two of his students. The poor guy had probably never imagined that his unwavering faith, his tremendous respect for the religion he had been practicing since childhood would one day be used against him. But it was without counting on that sneaky little bastard Konohamaru.

Sitting peacefully at their desk, the teen and his neighbor had brought with them a copy of the so-called Holy Scriptures venerated by his professor along with a whole lot of obituary pages from various newspapers dating from the last few days. The plan was simple: his accomplice would name a recently deceased person and read the circumstances of his or her death, after which the Sarutobi prankster would start reciting a lengthy text from his book. Then they would repeat the same procedure over and over again, each time with a different name.

All these steps formed the ancient ritual of the 'prayer of the dead' during which believers were expected to stand still and silent, bowing their head down. The unfortunate man has been staying in this very position for more than half an hour, torn between respecting his convictions and putting an end to this farce. It was such a terrible dilemma that tears were welling in his eyes, contrary to his pupils who were doing their best to look like they were observing the parody of ceremony with utmost seriousness but some couldn't hold back their laughter.

Just yet another ordinary day in Mintos…

* * *

It took roughly a quarter of hour for Hidan to memorize the moves of each shogi piece, then another for the basic rules. Only then had they given it a first try with the master keeping it slow and simple and giving frequent comments or advices to help and guide the novice. It was particularly long and tiresome seeing how the first was as good a teacher as the second a student. It took a great deal of efforts from both of them to stay cool and avoid a nervous breakdown but the lesson eventually got into the albino's thick skull. When that first part was finished, they could finally get on with some real games.

Obviously, he still needed a lot more training to attain a proper level though, especially compared to such a prodigy.

"Checkmate…" Shikamaru announced with half-amused, half-disappointed tone.

"Da fuck!?" the immortal swore, noting that he had indeed suffered his third crushing defeat in a row in barely forty minutes.

"I told you not to rush in and to always make sure not to leave your king or jewel vulnerable when moving. It's not that hard; we don't even allow dropping yet."

"Ok, STOP! I've had it, we'll resume it another day!"

The Nara simply grunted in acknowledgement; at least Hidan hadn't given up on shogi yet, which was quite a miracle after such an awful first session. Then in order to clear their heads while waiting for the others, he challenged him to a pool game.

"Any idea when they'll be here?" the ex-jashinist asked as he took a detour via the fridge to get new drinks.

"I suppose most of them will arrive within an hour, as usual." the lazy-ass answered, chalking his cue as he did. "Some may come a bit earlier, like Kiba or Sakura who left the campus at the same time as me."

"What, they were afraid to come here with you?"

"Can't blame them, there's a sick psycho living here." Shikamaru teased him, evading a slap at the back of his skull. "Nah, seriously, Kiba went jogging with Akamaru. As for Sakura, she wanted to check a few stores."

"Shopping, duh…"

"Well, it's a special opportunity: she's looking for a birthday gift for Sai."

"How old is he?"

"He's turning twenty in three weeks. Same for Lee two days later."

"And who's in charge of finding his gift?"

"I guess Gaara must be on it already."

"Gaara ?" Hidan repeated, incredulity written all over his face. "_The_ Gaara?"

"Who else?"

"Sorry but I can hardly picture that emotionless golem going window-shopping, hunting for a birthday gift for Bushy-Brows."

Shikamaru rolled his eyes with a sigh; he always wondered whether the albino's annoying habit of giving silly nicknames to everyone was natural or if Naruto had rubbed off on him.

"Didn't you notice how he watches his every movement or how he stalks him like a shadow? It's not much, I'll give you that. But apparently, it's the first time he's ever shown so much attention towards anyone. At least that's what Kankuro and Temari told us. They are convinced that he has a crush on him, although they fail to understand what he likes so much about him."

"No kidding. Maybe he intends to steal his eyebrows for himself…"

Even the immortal himself was surprised that such a lame joke could actually get a chuckle out of anyone, especially Pineapple-head.

"But no, it didn't strike me, he added. All I know is that Insector and Snow-White are together. Then again, they are always cuddling in each other's arms; you'd have to be blind not to notice.

"Wait, you haven't figured out any couple aside from Shino and Hinata?"

As Hidan shrugged, confirming his suspicion, the Nara couldn't hold back a facepalm as well as one of the deepest sighs of his whole life.

"What a drag…Alright, I doubt the others will mind if I gave you a brief summary. First, Sasuke and Naruto have been together for four years.

"The crow and the fox… man, who knows what they did with the cheese…"

This remark earned him a puzzled glance from the supergenius who failed to grasp the reference despite his erudition. However, he didn't trouble himself with explaining and prompted him to carry on.

"To spare you the details, they've known each other since childhood but they truly got closer when Sasuke was passing through a tough time. They started dating when things got better.

Hidan reckoned that said 'tough times' corresponded to the murder of the Uchiha's parents but he refrained from asking about it.

"Zaku and Dosu have been together for a bit longer than them. From what little I know about them, they grew up in the same orphanage as Kin. The three of them were like a family to each other, and these two eventually fell in love.

More than the romantic aspect of the boys' relationship, it was the trio's past that interested the albino most. Up until now, he had been unable to determine the nature of the link uniting them. He had formulated various hypotheses but he had never imagined that they were orphans who had stuck together against their tragic fate.

"Then there are Shino and Hinata who became a couple two years ago. Long before that, Hinata used to be madly in love with Naruto. I let you imagine how down she felt when she found out that he was playing for the other team. For a long time, she believed that no one could ever replace her lost love but by dint of comforting her, Shino successfully did.

Hidan was about to drop yet another snide comment, this time regarding the lovebirds' common discretion but instead, he blurted out a whole load of foul language as he missed what should have been a master shot. Shikamaru hastily moved on to the next pair while pondering about his next move.

"Now as you already know, Neji is Hinata's cousin. Apparently, they once were on really bad terms but since they made up, he's become very, _very_ overprotective of her, so much that he spent months harassing Shino for futile reasons, sometimes none at all. Ultimately, Hinata got so pissed off at him that she went to have some serious tongue-lashing with him during which she criticized him harshly, especially regarding the fact that everybody knew he was in love with Tenten yet he'd never had the balls to ask her out. Personally, I've never seen her angry but according to Kiba and Shino, Ino and Sakura in their worst days are angels compared to her. Anyway, it appears Neji mulled over her lecture because he never dared pestering Shino anymore and he was going out with Tenten less than a week later.

The immortal had to admit he'd never have suspected Snow-White to be so strong-willed beneath her extreme shyness that she could stand up against her much more assertive cousin, not to mention successfully making him give way. That hidden side of her personality reminded him of some lazy-ass…

"Sai and Sakura hooked up not long after Shino and Hinata but their story is a bit more complicated. You see, for a long time Naruto had been enamored with Sakura whereas she had eyes exclusively for Sasuke who himself didn't give a damn about either of them. Apparently, when Sasuke and Naruto got together, she hoped to make him jealous by dating Sai, and thus get his attention. Naturally, her lousy plan was an utter failure and Sai dumped her as soon as he realized that she was toying with him. For some time, she kept trying to steal him for herself but seeing how all three of them started despising her, she was forced to accept that Sasuke would never be hers. Then, she slowly grew some feelings for Sai, or so she claims at least, and they eventually got back together."

"Dating a guy only to use him like that… What a bitch! Why the fuck did he even agree to go out with that backstabbing attention whore?"

Shikamaru didn't reply anything, mostly because he had yet to figure out this mystery himself.

"Finally, the last ones to date are Kiba and Kankuro. These two met each other at the campus two months ago. Love at first sight for both of them. Three days later, they were together, and for now it seems to be working just fine."

A small detail in the speech hadn't gone unnoticed, and of course Hidan didn't need coaxing to point it out.

"Oh, so you lazy-ass are single? What a surprise."

"For your information, Kiba and I have been together for three years and a half. We broke up when Kankuro showed up, although to be honest we weren't really a couple to begin with. We had long realized that there was no love between us, more like a bromance, but I guess neither of us dared to say it out loud and put a definitive end to our relationship.

"Wait, you dated that mutt? Weird, you two are complete opposites."

"True but why should that be a problem? And trust me, even if he does tend to act more like a dog than a man, Kiba is a really wonderful guy. Maybe you'd have preferred me to date Ino, like Choji did?"

"No way; you're kidding me?

"They broke up a year ago but yeah, they've been together for seventeen months."

"How could he even consider hooking up with that nutcase?"

"She treated him to a restaurant right before asking him out; must have influenced his decision…"

Oddly, the foul-mouthed immortal didn't even drop a comment. He didn't have to; his facepalm was enough to express his thoughts.

"By the way, what about you ?" the sluggard carried on. "Got someone in your life?"

Currently assessing his next shot, the Nara didn't notice Hidan's brief hesitation. In normal circumstances, he would have recited the same twaddle he had repeated on countless occasions over the decades to keep the myth about his family alive, a fable which sometimes included an imaginary girlfriend, a fiancée, a wife or even kids. Except in the present case, Shikamaru wasn't one of these random guys that he ran into every once in a blue moon. On the contrary, he was one of the most regular visitor among the group. Sooner or later, he was bound to find out the truth and no matter how harmless the lie might be, he would most probably react strongly to this deception.

And after all, was there any reason not to be honest with a _friend_?

"Nope. Ain't like I'm searching anyway."

Actually, he had never been looking _at all_. Initially, during his jashinian period, love was a concept that he despised and hated more than anything. He had revised his judgment following his brutal enlightenment but not to the point of actively seeking his soul mate. Even after his redemption, he still wasn't fond of human contact and wasn't looking to get acquainted with anyone. People didn't interest him; they never did. It was already the case with ninjas, it was even more true with ordinary folks. And in his case, love had not decided to take the initiative by coming to him. There had been a few strangers who had successfully overcome his barriers and made friends with him but those were no longer part of the living.

"You don't seem to be searching so much either…" he remarked.

"Who cares whether I'm single or not?" the sluggard sighed. "I'd rather wait until another great guy like Kiba shows up than waste my time flirting with all those assholes lurking on the net, in nightclubs or others…".

"By the time you gather enough motivation to move your lazy ass and approach them, they are already gone anyway" Hidan teased him.

Focused on his shot, Shikamaru didn't answer straight away. Only once he was done did he raise his head, a mocking smirk plastered on his face.

"I win." he explained at the albino's confusion. Naturally, a bunch of swearing followed the announcement of his stinging defeat, having pocketed only two balls.

The front door then opened, revealing the tattooed-cheeked ex accompanied by his inseparable white hound and by the Uchiha-Uzumaki couple, drinks and foods in hands. All three of them didn't hide their surprise to be welcomed by a flow of insults, even though those were not aimed at them.

"Something wrong?" Naruto asked, ignoring the genius' amused face that seemed to indicate the contrary.

"Of course not." Hidan assured him. "I just got my ass thrashed but aside from that, everything's just damn fine."

"Well, pick another game for a rematch."

"It was the rematch."

"Yeah, he already lost at shogi right before that." Shikamaru added.

"No wonder, no one can best you in shogi."

"For your information, he's very ticklish." the Inuzuka mentioned with a falsely innocent expression. "Just saying…"

"Shut up, Kiba!" his ex ordered him.

Unfortunately for the latter, it was too late; the albino was already sharing a smile of complicity with the dog lover and they soon turned their heads in his direction, a predatory grin creeping on their faces as his own faded away.

"Oh no, don't even think about it!" he warned them, alas to no avail as both started walking towards him.

Shikamaru didn't need to be a genius to realize that this last silent exchange meant trouble, and so he dashed off in a desperate attempt to get away from them. Unfortunately, while his intelligence was greater than both of theirs, he couldn't rival with them in physical terms. Consequently, in mere seconds, he found himself at their mercy, literally crying under the torment inflicted to him by the two sadists.

That childish torture session marked the beginning of the now-traditional Tuesday party. Hidan and Kiba were eventually forced to release the Nara once all other members of the band had arrived; the first had to prepare dinner as promised whereas the second went to rehearse with the other musicians, including his victim. As usual, it lasted well into the night, with everyone enjoying all that the Alba Madonna had to offer for them to relax and have fun in that cheerful atmosphere that was so typical of the group.

Although the immortal had as much of a great time as his guests, it did nothing to reduce the frustration lingering deep inside him. Despite numerous hours of boring research, he had yet to make any progress regarding the cause or origin of their sudden returning from the dead. He wasn't planning on giving up but with each passing day, he was getting more and more convinced that only a little help from either fate or Lady Luck would allow him to solve this mystery. If such things existed that is.

At least he could console himself with the more than satisfying results for his second objective. His efforts to gain the kids' trust were paying off. He had occasionally befriended with one or two guys that stood from the crowd over the millennia, but for the first time in his life, he could honestly claim to be part of a circle of genuine friends.

And for some reason, he loved it…

* * *

**Author's notes:**

**Told you it sucked...  
**

**The ventriloquist mentioned in this chapter is Jeff Dunham, and Achmed (aka 'the dead terrorist') is one of his characters. If you've never seen him, you might want to check some vids of him on youtube.**

**Also, no offense meant to all the vegetarians reading this. I'm merely teasing a friend of mine. ^^**

**Finally, if you don't know about shogi, jewel and king are basically the same piece, only the name differs. One of the rules states that the best of the two players is given the King while the other is given the Jeweled General and is considered the challenger. **

**The title for this chapter is once again a reference to a soundtrack from the great game 'Kingdom Hearts II'.  
**

**Thank you for reading, even more for reviewing. Don't hesitate to point any mistake, inconsistency or anything. Useful criticism is always welcome, especially for a beginner like me.**

**Or you can go directly to chapter 5...**


	5. Unerasable Sin

**Chapter 5... Not much to say about this one. **

**As mentioned at the beginning of chapter 4, don't expect anything extraordinary.  
**

******As always, author's notes can be found at the bottom.  
**

**Happy reading!**

* * *

Over the last few weeks, Saturday mornings had settled into a new routine for several members of the group.

Of course, among them were the band musicians who gathered in the Alba Madonna in order to rehearse for their upcoming concert. Gifted with a perfect pitch as well as being quite the talented player herself, Kin often accompanied them to provide a competent external opinion.

Right now however, all eight of them were taking a break after two hours of practicing various songs over and over again.

The ever-so-discreet Sai was enjoying a drink in the company of the 'orphan siblings' (as the three liked to call themselves), grinning as he listened silently to their friendly bickering.

Meanwhile, the Uchiha raven was having trouble refraining himself from pinning down his blond lover on the couch where they were relaxing. For now, they were merely holding hands and occasionally exchanging chaste kisses but the teasing Uzumaki kept whispering naughty suggestions in his ear, so much that his jeans were already feeling uncomfortably tight. One thing was sure; someone was getting punished as soon as they were back to the student room they shared.

As for Shikamaru, he was standing next to Kiba and Tenten, watching the ongoing spar between the last three persons in the room, namely Hidan, Neji and Lee. Truth be told, his eyes were glued mostly on the immortal rather than on his opponents, admiring him as he attacked, dodged, parried or countered them. Too bad, the silver-haired fighter wasn't bare-chested like he had been lucky enough to see him three weeks ago; the show would have been even more appealing to him.

Plus, the Nara had to admit that the older man wasn't just gorgeous, he was also highly skilled.

The first time the two younger boys had invited him to train with them, the albino had mentioned that unlike them, he was no martial artist. He was more of an instinctive street brawler with no real knowledge of any specific discipline. Considering this admission, his pretty athletic build, his straightforward temper and his aggressive shogi tactics, the supergenius had reckoned that he was the kind of brutish guy who relied essentially on strength and basic fierce blows. In fact, although he did hit hard, he was nowhere near as beastly as Bushy-Brows but neither did he have as much technique as the Hyuga. His main assets were his speed, agility and stamina thanks to which he could actually hold his own against both of them and last much longer.

Well, that's how Shikamaru analyzed what he saw anyway. He had no reason to suspect that Hidan was secretly holding back.

Contrary to what the latter made it seem like, the battle was awfully uneven. Sure, based on the low modern standards, these kids were good, better than the majority of weaklings living nowadays but they were no match for a former S-rank ninja. Facing the two of them simultaneously didn't make it any more of a challenge. He simply had to be a bit more on his guard but compared to his encounter with the Nibi or with Konoha's shadow-nin, this was a walk in the park.

Still, no matter how easy it was, having a partner to spar with was nice for a change. And at least, they never gave up easily, he'd give them that.

They'd been at it for thirty minutes already and his two opponents had barely landed a few punches… well more like he had occasionally let them hit him but they didn't need to know that. This disappointing performance frustrated them enough as it was. Both were panting hard, their legs were shaking and their whole body was glistening with sweat; only through sheer force of will could they stand on their feet despite the exhaustion in their muscles but they didn't want to stop just yet, not as long as they had the strength to give it another try.

Right now, Hidan was sandwiched with Neji in front of him and Lee behind. They were waiting, pondering on their next move. They didn't bother searching for an opening as the immortal was obviously experienced; he seldom let his guard down, he knew how to efficiently evade most sorts of attacks and he reacted too quickly for them to take advantage of his rare mistakes. Their best bet was to cooperate as much as possible in order to offer him no respite at all. A tough mission, even when they were in top shape.

The signal for their umpteenth assault was given by the ringtone of a nearby phone.

Upon hearing the silly track, the Hyuga closed in on his target and aimed at its torso with his right fist but he missed as Hidan rapidly sidestepped. The left one followed a second later but instead of dodging, the older man blocked it with his own left hand and instantly attempted to bash his opponent square in the jaw but the latter successfully dodged it by leaping backwards.

As he did, his braided partner jumped in from behind for a powerful spin kick at hips level. It was a close call but the albino crouched down just in time for the leg to pass mere centimeters above his head. Then, before the kid could react, he threw a leg sweep at his other leg, thus causing him to fall heavily on the ground.

Neji swiftly came to his ally's rescue, sending both of his fists straight for Hidan's head. Unfortunately for him, the immortal managed to block and imprison them in an iron grip. Forcefully spreading the restrained arms open allowed him to knee the Hyuga's stomach violently before sending him flying over his shoulder, making him land on Lee who was still sprawled on the ground.

Another failure…

In a matter of seconds though, both were back on their feet, preparing their next strike.

"SAY WHAT?"

The deafening shout echoed through the vast first floor of the annex. Of course, it immediately caught everyone's attention, even that of Hidan, Lee and Neji who interrupted their sparring match to turn their heads towards the screamer. Surprisingly, it had come from Shikamaru, the second epitome of calmness after Gaara.

"Hold on! What the hell. Happened. _EXACTLY_?"

Wondering looks were shared as the discussion with the mysterious caller went on. Whatever reply was given to him led the lazy-ass to do a facepalm.

"I'm searching but I can't find a single word to tell how much of a pain you are."

Another pause.

"Hey, I'm not done yet! Don't you dare hang up on me, you… Ino? OY, INO?"

With an angry groan, Shikamaru put his cellphone back in his pocket and let himself collapse on a nearby sofa, placing an arm over his eyes. All those around him glanced at each other, waiting for one of them to ask what they all wanted to hear. Eventually, Naruto did.

"What was that about?"

The answer didn't come straight away as the Nara first took time to give a deep, exasperated sigh.

"Ino had an accident. With _my_ car of course. Though I bet she'll have the nerve to pretend that it was the tree that was going too fast and crashed into them."

"Are they alright?" Tenten inquired, her eyes filled with concern.

"Depends who. No one's hurt but my ride's dead. And I mean _dead_."

"Why on earth did you even agree to let her borrow it? Everybody knows she's a real kamikaze driver."

No one would deny Neji's point. After all, it was, it was no less than her third accident since she had gotten her license.

"I didn't. Then Temari threatened me."

The explanation earned him a wide range of reactions. Some couldn't hold back roars of laughter while others felt cold sweat running down their spine. Kankuro and Gaara always made sure to warn their new friends beforehand; getting on their sister's bad side was like signing your own death warrant. There was a saying: if you value your life, never say 'no' to Temari.

"So what will you do? Get a new one?" the Uzumaki carried on, switching to a topic that didn't remind him of his own near-death experience with the elder Akabane sibling.

"Man, I don't even want to think about it. What a drag…"

"By the way, didn't you have a shogi tournament in Swapopolis this afternoon?" Sasuke reminded him, a teasing grin tugging at the corner of his mouth.

Shikamaru gave another loud grunt as he realized the Uchiha was right. The town where the event was held was located a good ten miles away from Mintos or the Alba Madonna. He had made it clear to the blonde duo that he needed his car back to get there. '_Don't worry!_' they said…

"If you want, I can drop you off there" Kiba offered sympathetically. "Problem is I won't be able to pick you up for the ride back." He added with an apologetic tone.

The Nara thanked him and started glancing at the rest of his friends one after the other with a pleading expression until his eyes landed on the albino who sighed before volunteering.

"Got anything against bikes?"

* * *

It was near sunset when Hidan parked in front of a small sports hall on the outskirts of Swapopolis. This was where he and Shikamaru were supposed to meet up but the boy was nowhere to be found and judging from the activity by the entrance, the competition was probably not over yet. With a resigned sigh, he entered the building.

Minutes later, he stumbled upon him on the balcony overlooking the basketball field where numerous tables and shogi sets had been installed for the occasion, although only one game was currently in progress. The sluggard was sitting near the bar, sipping nonchalantly at his soda while cloud-gazing out the window.

"You done yet?" he asked, taking a seat next to him.

The question brought the lazy-ass out of his reverie. Glancing at the immortal, he discovered him for the first time clad in a biker leather jacket which suited him vey nicely. A sight that made him wonder how sexy the older man would be wearing nothing under it.

"Nope, I qualified for the finals but the other semi-final isn't finished yet."

"Great. Any idea how long it's gonna take?"

"Don't worry; I'll deal with the last match quickly. I'm as eager to leave as you are."

Low chuckles could be heard behind them and a mysterious voice commented the Nara's reply.

"As lazy as ever, huh?"

Turning around on their sea, the duo recognized an all-too familiar face. A tall man in his thirties, easily recognizable thanks to his thick black beard.

"Asuma!" Shikamaru exclaimed, standing up to shake the newcomer's hand. "What are you doing here?"

"I was in the area to train some rookies in copter-piloting. I knew you were playing here so I decided to make a detour on my way home."

"Wasn't Konohamaru with you as usual?"

"No, he and his soccer team had a match in Byzel. They should be on the way back right now."

As Shikamaru was already beginning another sentence, the albino loudly cleared his throat to remind them of his presence.

"Oh right, sorry. Hidan, this is Asuma, Kono's uncle."

"So you're Hidan? Konohamaru and Shikamaru told me about you. Nice to meet you."

The immortal had encountered many peculiar situations in his lengthy life but shaking hands with the reincarnated version of a man murdered by his own hand millennia ago was a first for him. Somehow, it was even more disturbing than simply coming across your own killer. Not only did it leave him utterly confused, it also caused a mix of feelings to surface, particularly some that he wasn't used to. Uneasiness, guilt, shame, remorses…

For once, Hidan kept his loud mouth under control, forcing himself to remain silent as the former sensei and student resumed their chatter, the latter inquiring about a certain Kurenai. From what he could gather by listening to them, she was none other than the man's pregnant wife, their baby's birth being expected by the end of January. Also, the teen Sarutobi had already been chosen as the child's godfather.

The discussion went on for barely a minute until Shikamaru was at last summoned for the finals which he would play against some guy named Tora. As the genius headed downstairs, the ex-jashinist and his past victim walked to the edge of the balcony where they could easily watch the match from above.

"Did you take part in the tournament as well?" Asuma asked as the jeweled challenger Tora made his first move.

"Nah, I merely came to pick Shikamaru up. I arrived little before you."

"What about his car?"

"Dead. He leant it to the wrong person this morning."

"Ino?"

"Exactly. You know her then?"

"I met her and Choji occasionally, back when Shikamaru and I were neighbors. It's been a while since I last saw them but I had words of her driving skills. You could say her reputation precedes her."

"Kono told you that, huh?" Hidan wagered with an amused tone, getting a nod from the Asuma. "What about me? I bet he told you I'm a highly dangerous sadist, fresh out of the insane asylum?"

"You forgot wicked, fanatic and cannibalistic." The bearded man chuckled.

"Man, you must be soooo disappointed…" The immortal added with a joking smile.

"You have no idea!"

Both marked a brief paused, silently observing the game as Shikamaru was already assailing his opponent's castle using an unusual Rook-Knight combination as his main attack force. The albino couldn't help but feel sorry for the defender who was carefully pondering on each and every single action only to have the pineapple-head make his own moves in barely two or three seconds.

"Seriously, he said no such things." Asuma resumed. "Actually, I have heard only good things about you since the beginning, whether from Konohamaru or from Shikamaru. It seems they both consider you a friend."

"Still, you must be relieved to see for yourself that I'm no bloodthirsty monster out to torture them."

"I never doubted it. Although to be quite honest with you, I did envision you like this for a second the first time Konohamaru mentioned you. Sounds dumb I know but the way you had offered them free access to your multimillionaire's estate like it was no big deal got me a bit wary. Blame it on modern paranoia I guess."

"No wonder. Such an offer coming from a random stranger asking nothing in return, hard not to find it suspicious."

"On the contrary; with hindsight, it wasn't that worrying."

"How so?" Hidan reacted with surprise.

"Well first, you weren't going after a lone helpless person. Instead, you were dealing with no less than twenty youngsters, some of which can put up quite a good fight. Not exactly the best choice for victims; unless you're some kind of super warrior or some over-equipped freak, I hardly picture you neutralizing all of them by yourself. And more importantly, from what Konohamaru told me, you didn't harass them to get them inside your house at all costs. You didn't even try to hold them back when they decided to head back home although it was obvious that relatives such as me would hear about you that night. From then on, it was like having a huge 'number 1 suspect' sign plastered on your face. Should anything happen, everyone would accuse you immediately. A criminal would try his best to avoid drawing the attention, which is clearly not your case."

"True. Still, I'm just being realistic; not everyone takes time to reason like you do. People tend to see psychos everywhere nowadays…"

"Which is incredibly stupid if you ask me. Statistically, I have more chances of being killed by my wife or by a close friend than by a random stranger in the street. Even with your closest relatives can be a lethal threat to you but what can we do against it? Locking ourselves away from the rest of the world and remain alone forever? Might as well commit suicide, there's no way death can be any more boring than such a depressing life."

_Oh, you get used to it…_ Hidan inwardly commented, looking back on his own millennia of solitary existence.

Meanwhile, Shikamaru was wreaking havoc in his opponent's army. His knight had been captured during the assault, a loss that many believed to actually be part of the mastermind's plan of attack. His tower had successfully broken through the first line of defense and reached the inner part of the enemy's camp, a feat that resulted in its promotion to an even scarier dragon unit. A previously seized knight was soon dropped on the board as reinforcement, and the reunited duo resumed its devastating march towards the jeweled general.

"Anyway, what I mean is no, I never truly took you for the dangerous type, quite the contrary."

The compliment caused the immortal to burst out laughing, a startling reaction that Asuma was definitely not expecting. Of course, he couldn't perceive the extreme irony lurking behind his apparently innocent words. Right, he wasn't dangerous; he had merely derived great pleasure in cruelly murdering him…"

"What's so funny?" the bearded man asked, confusion written all over his face.

It took a moment for Hidan's hilarity to die down under the wondering gaze of his ex-victim. The latter wasn't the only one left puzzled by this surprising turn of events; Shikamaru was watching them from his seat, a glint of curiosity shining deep in his eyes as his mind speculated on what oh-so funny topics these two could possibly be talking about.

"No offense meant…" the albino eventually replied. "It just doesn't sound right."

_Especially coming from you_, he inwardly added.

"Why is that?"

"Truth is, I once used to be rather… unsavory." he admitted.

"Care to elaborate?" Asuma requested, frowning slightly as he scrutinized Hidan from the corner of his eye. Do you have a history as a delinquent, a thug or something like that?"

"Without getting into details, I wasn't the most balanced kid to begin with. Then one day, violence and religion came in and before I knew it, they had driven me completely haywire."

"But you've clearly gotten better since then, haven't you?"

"The question is would you trust me if I answered yes? Because I obviously don't have any way to prove it. All I can give you is my word."

As Hidan was uttering that last sentence, he was taken aback by Asuma suddenly clapping his hands together. He quickly realized that the bearded man wasn't the only one to do so; the whole audience was applauding none other than Shikamaru who had won the finals in record time. Obsessed by the Nara's knight who was becoming too much of a threat for his jeweled general, Tora had eventually positioned his bishop in order to either capture the annoying piece or force it to retreat. Too bad for him, such a move opened the way for the promoted tower to break safely into his castle and mate, thus putting an end to the game.

"There's one question I wish to ask." Asuma said once the room had fallen back into relative silence.

"Fire away."

"What convinced you to become a better man?"

"Nothing. Someone forced me into it, which was probably the best thing to do to be honest. Simply put, I had to undergo an awfully rough shock treatment. It was lengthy, painful and strenuous but in the end, it worked."

"Sounds like it was a really dreadful experience."

"Worse than all you could ever imagine. Still, I don't regret it, especially when I remember the loathsome piece of shit I used to be."

"Aren't you afraid of relapsing?"

"That won't happen; I despise everything that had turned me into such a crazy scumbag far too much for that. Plus I recently came across the one who… saved me from myself, so to speak. We've been meeting on a regular basis since then. There's no way I'm letting him down after what he did for me.

_Never!_, Hidan vowed while staring at Shikamaru who was waiting impatiently for the awards ceremony to start. The sluggard was doing his best to hide it but a brief eye contact between them confirmed to the albino that if not for the sake of politeness, he would be out of there already.

"I appreciate your truthfulness. However, you realize that such revelations won't help you with winning people's trust?

"This is precisely why Shika and the others don't know anything about it. I might not be a genius like him but I'm not dumb enough to shout it from the rooftops.

"Then why did you tell me?

"I may be wrong but seeing how calmly you reacted to my rather peculiar meeting with them, I reckon you will do the same regarding what I just told you; that you'll judge me for what I am now and not for what I used to be.

"What I mean is why talk about it at all? It's not like you have any obligation to."

"No point in lying about it forever; my past is part of me and nothing will ever change it. No matter how shameful it is, I became what I am today because of it and I have no choice but to live with it. The real problem comes from what you mentioned earlier: people are paranoid. I always need to wait until the person is ready to hear it, otherwise she'd certainly overreact and start avoiding me like the plague. Also, I wanna be sure she'll keep it to herself. You will, right?"

"That depends solely on you. So long as you don't give a reason to change my mind, I'll be silent as a grave."

A last round of applauses rose from the first floor as the awards ceremony came to an end, thus concluding the tournament. As soon as he was free to leave, Shikamaru eagerly jumped off of the podium, walking straight towards the nearest stairs in order to join them.

"Listen, whatever you did exactly back then, I don't care and I don't want to hear about it. We all did our share of mistakes, myself included, especially when we were young and foolish. Forget about the past; what you do now is all that matters."

"So you're willing to consider a good guy?"

"Aren't you?"

"Well, I like to think so but I'm no saint either."

"Neither am I, nor is anyone in this world. We all have our darker side and its secrets. No one expects you to be perfect, only not to be a heartless bastard. As far as I'm concerned, both Shikamaru and Konohamaru trust you and that's more than enough for me. Keep acting like they say you do and then yes, you can consider yourself a good guy.

"Thanks I guess."

"Just don't ever make me regret these words."

"You won't." Hidan promised as Shikamaru arrived near them. "That sure was quick!"

"Yet he lasted longer than you ever did." The Nara teased him with a grin. "Mind sharing why you were laughing so hard earlier?"

"I was merely telling Hidan about your wonderful performances at your primary school fair." Asuma lied. "Remember when you and your class had to re-enact Rabbi Jacob?"

The albino had no trouble imagining the scene; a chibi-Shikamaru surrounded by other kids his age, on a stage, forced to dance on that renowned music from a cult film that even a recluse like him had seen. He could easily picture the enthusiasm on the lazy-ass' face at the time, he who hates all physical activities. The image was enough for the immortal to break into laughter once again.

Finding nothing to reply, the pineapple-head simply rolled his eyes as he went to pick his jacket up before heading towards the exit with his two older friends. Asuma took the opportunity to ask for some news on the Nara family as well as on Ino and Choji. The trio was soon standing near the bearded man's car.

"By the way, what can you tell about that Kin girl from your group? Is she nice?"

"Nice as in 'pretty' or 'pleasant'?"

"Pleasant."

"Well, yes and no. To put it simply, she's a lot like Ino minus the bimbo side. At first sight, she might seem a bit rude and aggressive but once you get to know her, she's really kind and thoughtful towards hers friends. The thing is she's not bad; she just doesn't let people push her around. Considering her rather rough childhood, it's not that surprising. Why the sudden interest?"

"Between you and me, I believe Konohamaru has a crush on her."

"What?" Hidan and Shikamaru exclaimed simultaneously. "You serious?" the latter added.

"The idiot didn't properly close his door the other night. I caught him whispering her name in front of his computer. I don't need to tell where his hands were."

The albino and his passenger stared at each other for a second then burst out laughing. They couldn't wait to tease the teen about this.

"What about you ? » Asuma asked once both of them had fallen silent. "Have you found Kiba's successor yet?"

"Maybe. I'm not sure yet though." the genius admitting, looking away as he did.

"Heh?" the immortal reacted with a surprised tone. "Since when do you have a new boyfriend?"

"He's not my boyfriend yet!" the sluggard retorted. "I don't even know if he's into boys! I met him not long ago and for now, I'm waiting to know him a bit better before making a move."

While Hidan kept harassing Shikamaru for details, Asuma silently watched them with an amused smile. Between the slight blush on the Nara's cheeks and the way he avoided the albino's gaze, he already had his own idea as to who the sluggard was referring to.

The bearded man then cleared his throat loudly in order to get the younger boys' attention and bid them goodbye. Two minutes later, his car was leaving the parking lot. Meanwhile, the duo was putting helmets on for the ride.

"Please tell me you're not one of those kamikaze bikers like Zaku?" Shikamaru inquired, a sudden hint of apprehension in his voice

"Do I look like an old geezer driving like a snail?" Hidan retorted with a feigned vexed expression.

"Fuuuck! What the hell did I get myself into?"

"Maybe you'd prefer walking?" The immortal suggested, a wide grin creeping on his face. "You sure could use the exercise."

He knew the boy was way too lazy to even consider waiting for someone else to come pick him up or to get home by himself. He'd rather put up with that ten minutes ride despite the immortal's wild driving style.

Giving one of his trademark annoyed sigh, Shikamaru sat behind Hidan. Seconds later, they were on the road, heading back to the Alba Madonna where the group was supposed to gather tonight for Lee and Sai's birthday party. This was bound to be a long, fun and exhausting night.

The sun had completely disappeared below the horizon, leaving only a few stars to light the inky black sky through a thin cloudy veil. Hurtling through the darkness, the bikers were doing their best weaving in and out of the cars. You could swear the other drivers were in cahoots to hinder their progress.

Needless to say the sluggish Nara wasn't fond of high speed. A fact that could have soothed him as Hidan showed no hesitation in belting so recklessly along the road was that his acute senses and lightning reflexes greatly limited the risks. Those actually made him the best rider humanity had to offer, the safest one he could ever ride with. He didn't need such reassurance right now though seeing how his overheating brain no longer registered the outside world.

Following the immortal's instructions, Shikamaru made sure to keep his arms securely tied around his waist and to stick to his back at all times. Weeks after getting an eyeful of those attractive six-pack abs, this nerve-racking position now allowed him to touch them and the feeling was very, _very_ nice. Consequently, he was too busy struggling to refrain his hands from exploring the appealing torso any further to even notice their frightening pace. That and he was also worried sick that a growing part of his own body would not go unnoticed.

He was unaware that the albino was currently experiencing the same inner turmoil as him. Indeed, while his passenger was doing his best to control himself, Hidan's mind was being tormented by a single question.

When had someone last held him so tenderly?

* * *

**Author's notes:**

**So, which was worse? Chapter 4 or 5? Hopefully, chapter 6 will make up for it.**

**Anyway, some of you might have recognized Tora, the chess master from 'Rockman exe 3' (aka Megaman Battle Network 3). Seemed like a worthy opponent for Shikamaru...  
**

**Also, 'The adventures of Rabbi Jacob' is an old French movie with a famous dancing scene. (well, famous in France at least...)**

**The title for this chapter is a reference to a song from the Japanese band Porno Graffitti which was used in the Fullmetal Alchemist anime.**

**Thank you for reading, even more for reviewing. Don't hesitate to point any mistake, inconsistency or anything. Useful criticism is always welcome, especially for a beginner like me.**


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